Chemours Products and SDS: 7 Questions I've Answered in 7 Years of Handling Orders

I'm a technical sales coordinator handling Chemours product orders for seven years—since 2018, not counting the two years I spent as a buyer before that. I've personally made and documented four significant mistakes, totaling roughly $6,000 in wasted budget. Now I maintain the team's pre-order checklist so nobody else repeats them.

This article answers the questions I actually get from customers. Some are routine ("where's the SDS?"), some are chemistry ("what does p-nitrobenzoic acid plus NaOH make?"), and a couple are genuinely odd ("is this pigment fertilizer for pineapple plants?"). All of them are real questions from real people—and I answer them here the same way I do on the phone.

1. Where do I find a Chemours SDS?

Go to sds.chemours.com. That's the official Chemours SDS library, and it's free. Search by the exact product code, not a generic name. If you type "titanium dioxide," you'll get a list of Ti-Pure grades—you need the one that matches your material. If you type "Ti-Pure R-706," you'll get the right sheet on the first try.

I learned that lesson the hard way. In my first year (2018), I pulled the SDS for Ti-Pure R-960 to cover an order that was actually Ti-Pure R-706. Both are TiO2 pigment, but they're different grades with different surface treatments—and the handling details in the safety docs differ. The customer's safety plan referenced the wrong grade. On a one-ton order, that caused a 3-day delay and a $380 re-labeling bill (I might be off on the exact number—doesn't change the point). Fine on my screen, wrong in reality.

Also check the revision date. An SDS from 2016 won't include the EU's newer titanium dioxide classification from the 2019–2021 regulatory updates. The sheet you use should be tied to the exact product and the year you're in.

2. What products does Chemours actually make?

Unless you work in the chemical industry, the answer is usually "Teflon and paint pigment." That's not wrong, it's just incomplete. The Chemours product families I quote most often:

• Teflon™ fluoropolymers—PTFE, PFA, and FEP resins, plus Teflon™ finishes/coatings for cookware and industrial parts.
• Ti-Pure™ titanium dioxide—the white pigment that gives paints, plastics, and paper their opacity.
• Opteon™ refrigerants—low-GWP refrigerants for automotive and commercial air conditioning.
• Nafion™ membranes—ion-exchange membranes used in fuel cells and chlor-alkali processing.
• Krytox™ lubricants—high-performance fluorinated oils and greases.
• Viton™ fluoroelastomers—high-temperature rubber for seals and gaskets.

The practical point: knowing the family is only step one. Each family has grades, and the grade changes performance, price, and handling requirements. When I compared the Ti-Pure grade list side by side with the SDS index, I finally understood why experienced formulators order "R-706" on their spec sheets and never just "TiO2."

3. Is titanium dioxide poisonous?

The question I hear more than any other, so let's be precise. Titanium dioxide is not "poisonous" in the acute sense. Touching it or swallowing a small amount is not poisoning. The real concern is inhaling fine dust, repeatedly, at high concentrations over time.

Here's the regulatory picture as of January 2025:

• IARC classifies TiO2 as Group 2B—"possibly carcinogenic to humans"—based mainly on lung tumors in rats exposed to extremely high dust levels.
• EU CLP classifies TiO2 as Category 2 suspected carcinogen (H351: suspected of causing cancer by inhalation) for powders containing at least 1% TiO2 with particles of 10 µm or smaller. This has applied since October 1, 2021.
• FDA still permits TiO2 as a food color additive in the U.S. (21 CFR 73.575). The EU banned it as a food additive (E171) in 2022 after an EFSA review couldn't rule out genotoxicity.

So how do I actually answer the "poisonous" question? Handle the powder with respect for dust control. Use local exhaust or a respirator rated for dust (N95 minimum during dusty operations), wear gloves for extended skin contact, and wash your hands before eating. Once TiO2 is locked into a paint film or plastic product, it doesn't become airborne and isn't a hazard in normal use. This section exists because I once answered a safety question from memory and got politely corrected by a customer's safety officer. In September 2022, I told someone their existing dust mask was probably fine without checking the current classification. It wasn't deliberate—I just didn't verify. Never again. I answer every safety question with the SDS open.

4. What is the product of p-nitrobenzoic acid, acetone, and NaOH?

This one comes from a different kind of customer—usually someone running an organic chemistry procedure. Honest answer first: it's not a Chemours product. Chemours doesn't manufacture p-nitrobenzoic acid, and it's not in the catalog, so I'll answer the chemistry straight.

p-Nitrobenzoic acid is a carboxylic acid. NaOH is a strong base. They react in an acid–base neutralization to form sodium p-nitrobenzoate and water:

p-NO₂C₆H₄COOH + NaOH → p-NO₂C₆H₄COONa + H₂O

p-Nitrobenzoic acid is only slightly soluble in water, but sodium p-nitrobenzoate dissolves much better—so dilute NaOH is used to convert the solid acid into an aqueous solution. Acetone is commonly present as a solvent; it doesn't take part in the neutralization. If you're being asked "what's the product?" in a lab, that's your answer: sodium p-nitrobenzoate. And if a supplier tells you they sourced it from Chemours, double-check—it's not in our catalog.

5. Is Chemours titanium dioxide used as fertilizer for pineapple plants?

No, and please don't use it that way.

I'm not sure how the search connected you to us—maybe "titanium" sounds plant-friendly, or maybe a random post recommended it. Ti-Pure titanium dioxide is a pigment, not a plant nutrient. It contains no nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium, and spreading industrial pigment on food crops does nothing useful. I won't sugarcoat that.

Pineapple plants want a balanced fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, plus magnesium and calcium, applied during the active growing season, in soil that drains well. Your local agricultural extension office will have recommendations specific to your area—they're usually free, and they're the right source for this.

Worth saying plainly: I don't mind small or unusual questions. In 2023, a grower with a dozen plants called in hoping we sold fertilizer. We didn't, but we spent 15 minutes finding him a local source that did. The supplier who treats a $200 inquiry the same as a $20,000 order is the one who gets the $20,000 order later.

6. What do I need to specify when I order a "Teflon coating"?

"Teflon coating" doesn't mean one thing. I've placed hundreds of orders for Teflon™ finishes, and my biggest mistake was quoting a coating without asking about the part. In my first year, I processed a $3,200 order for "Teflon coating" without verifying the substrate. The part was a plastic component. The standard product I quoted required a heat cure it couldn't survive. $3,200 lesson, a free redo for the customer, and a new rule that now has a name in our checklist: no substrate, no quote.

Here's the minimum I need from you: the substrate (aluminum, steel, glass, or plastic), the maximum cure temperature your part can survive (many Teflon systems cure above 350°C/660°F), the service environment (chemical exposure, abrasion, food contact), and the application method (spray, dip, or brush).

And no, I won't tell you Teflon is "completely safe under all conditions." Safe use depends on applying the right system, curing it correctly, and staying within its temperature limits. That's not a disclaimer—that's how you get the product to actually work.

7. How do I know I'm buying genuine Chemours products?

This question matters more every year. I've seen a customer buy what they thought was Ti-Pure R-706 from an online marketplace and receive a blended white powder that didn't match spec. The rework cost about $2,800, not counting the lost production time.

Three checks before you pay:

1. Use an authorized distributor. Chemours publishes distributor lists on chemours.com. A genuine order leaves a paperwork trail.
2. Verify the product code and lot number on the label, and request the certificate of analysis for that lot.
3. Compare the SDS. If the seller can't produce one, or it doesn't match the product on the label, that's a red flag.

I keep a pre-order checklist with all of this. It's not glamorous, but it's caught 12 potential errors in the last 18 months—and that's a lot cheaper than another $3,200 education.