EC Number - TX
From imde.io
EC Number (European Community Number)
The EC Number (European Community Number) is a unique identifier assigned to chemical substances by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) under the REACH regulation and other EU chemical regulatory frameworks.
- Format: It consists of seven digits in the format XXX-XXX-X (e.g., 231-100-4 for water).
- Purpose: Used primarily in European regulatory systems for chemical tracking, classification, and compliance (e.g., REACH, CLP, and Biocidal Product Regulations).
- Scope: Assigned to all known chemical substances, including elements, simple compounds, and mixtures used in the EU market.
- Managed by: ECHA (European Chemicals Agency).
- Example: Nickel (Ni) → EC Number: 231-111-4.
Relationship Between EC Number and CAS Number
- Many substances have both an EC Number and a CAS Number.
- EC Numbers are used exclusively within the EU regulatory framework (e.g., REACH, ECHA databases).
- CAS Numbers are used globally, including in the EU, the U.S., and other regulatory databases.
- A one-to-one relationship is not guaranteed:
- Some substances may have an EC Number but no CAS Number (e.g., naturally occurring minerals or regulatory groupings).
- Some CAS Numbers do not have an EC Number, especially for complex mixtures or proprietary substances.
- Both numbers are often cross-referenced in regulatory databases (e.g., ECHA’s REACH database, ChemSpider, PubChem).
