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Prudent Practices in the Laboratory Prudent Practices in the Laboratory Taken from NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS, Washington, D.C.1995 A selection of useful sections TABLE 3.9 Partial List of Incompatible Chemicals (Reactive Hazards) ................................................. 2 TABLE 6.1 Summary of Magnetic Field Effects .................................................................................... 3 5.C.11.8 Handling Spills of Elemental Mercury ................................................................................... 3 5.G.6 Reactive or Explosive Materials Requiring Special Attention .................................................... 4 PEROXIDES ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Other Oxidizers .................................................................................................................................... 8 Dusts .................................................................................................................................................... 8 The "Dirty Dozen" : top suspects for laboratory accidents ................................................................. 8 1 TABLE 3.9 Partial List of Incompatible Chemicals (Reactive Hazards) Substances in the left hand column should be stored and handled so that they cannot accidentally contact corresponding substances in the right hand column under uncontrolled conditions.) Acetic acid Chromic acid, nitric acid, peroxides, permanganates Acetic anhydride Hydroxyl-containing compounds such as ethylene glycol, perchloric acid Acetone Concentrated nitric and sulfuric acid mixtures, hydrogen peroxide Acetylene Chlorine, bromine, copper, silver, fluorine, mercury Alkali and alkaline earth Carbon dioxide, carbon tetrachloride, other chlorinated hydrocarbons (also metals, powdered prohibit the use of water, foam, and dry chemical extinguishers on fires aluminum involving these metals -dry sand should be employed) Ammonia (anhydrous) Mercury, chlorine, calcium hypochlorite, iodine, bromine, hydrogen fluoride Acids, metal powders, flammable liquids, chlorates, nitrites, sulfur, finely Ammonium nitrate divided organics, combustibles Aniline Nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide Ammonia, acetylene, butadiene, butane, other petroleum gases, sodium Bromine carbide, turpentine, benzene, finely divided metals Calcium oxide Water Carbon, activated Calcium hypochlorite, other oxidants Ammonium salts, acids, metal powders, sulfur, finely divided organics, Chlorates combustibles Ammonia, acetylene, butadiene, butane, other petroleum gases, hydrogen, Chlorine sodium carbide, turpentine, benzene, finely divided metals Chlorine dioxide Ammonia, methane, phosphine, hydrogen sulfide Chromic acid, chromium Acetic acid, naphthalene, camphor, glycerol, turpentine, alcohol, other trioxide flammable liquids Acetylene, hydrogen peroxide, flammable liquids, flammable gases, Copper nitratable substances Fluorine Isolate from everything Hydrazine Hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid, any other oxidant Hydrocarbons (benzene, Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, chromic acid, peroxides butane, turpentine,…) Hydrocyanic acid Nitric acid, alkalis Hydrofluoric acid Ammonia (aqueous or anhydrous) Hydrogen fluoride (anhydrous) Copper, chromium, iron, most metals or their salts, any flammable liquid, Hydrogen peroxide combustible materials, aniline, nitromethane Hydrogen sulfide Fuming nitric acid,a oxidizing gases Iodine Acetylene, ammonia (anhydrous or aqueous) Acetylene, fulminic acid (Produced in nitric acid-ethanol mixtures), Mercury ammonia Acetic acid, acetone, alcohol, aniline, chromic acid, hydrocyanic acid, Nitric acid (concentrated) hydrogen sulfide, Nitroparaffins Inorganic bases, amines Oxalic acid Silver and mercury and their salts Oxygen Oils, grease, hydrogen, flammable liquids, solids, gases Acetic anhydride, bismuth and its alloys, alcohol, paper, wood, grease, oils Perchloric acid (all organics) 2 Peroxides, organic Acids (organic or mineral), (also avoid friction, store cold) Phosphorus (white) Air, oxygen Phosphorus pentoxide Alcohols, strong bases, water Potassium chlorate Acids (see also chlorates) Potassium perchlorate Acids (see also perchloric acid) Potassium permanganate Glycerol, ethylene glycol, benzaldehyde, sulfuric acid Acetylene, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, fulminic acid (Produced in nitric acid- Silver and silver salts ethanol mixtures), ammonium compounds Sodium nitrite Ammonium nitrate and other ammonium salts Any oxidizable substance, such as ethanol, methanol, glacial acetic acid, Sodium peroxide acetic anhydride, benzaldehyde, carbon disulfide, glycerol, ethylene glycol, ethyl acetate, methyl acetate, furfural Sulfuric acid Chlorates, perchlorates, permanganates Hazards in the Chemical Laboratory, 4th edition, L. Bretherick, Ed. (1986). TABLE 6.1 Summary of Magnetic Field Effects Level at Which Effects Occur (gauss) Effects on electron microscopes 1 Disturbance of color computer displays 1-3 Disturbance of monochrome computer displays 3-5 Erasure of credit card and bank card coding 10 Effects on watches and micromechanical devices 10 Lowest known field effect on pacemakers 17 Saturation of transformers and amplifiers 50 Erasure of floppy disks 350 Site Planning Guide for Superconducting NMR Systems, Bruker Instruments (1992). 5.C.11.8 Handling Spills of Elemental Mercury Mercury spills can be avoided by using supplies and equipment that do not contain mercury. However, most mercury spills do not pose a high risk. The initial response to a spill of elemental mercury should be to isolate the spill area and begin the cleanup procedure. Those doing the cleanup should wear protective gloves. The cleanup should begin with collecting the droplets. The large droplets can be consolidated by using a scraper or a piece of cardboard, and the pool of mercury removed with a pump or other appropriate equipment. A standard vacuum cleaner should never be used to pick up mercury. If a house vacuum system is used, it can be protected from the mercury by a charcoal filter in a trap. For cleaning up small mercury droplets, a special vacuum pump may be used, or the mercury may be picked up on wet toweling, which consolidates the small droplets to larger pieces, or picked up with a piece of adhesive tape. Commercial mercury spill cleanup sponges and spill control kits are available. The common practice of using sulfur should be discontinued because the practice is ineffective and the resulting waste creates a disposal problem. The mercury should be placed in a thick-wall high-density polyethylene bottle and transferred to a central depository for reclamation. After a mercury spill the exposed work surfaces and floors should be decontaminated by using an appropriate decontamination kit. 3 5.G.6 Reactive or Explosive Materials Requiring Special Attention An explosive is any chemical compound or mechanical mixture that, when subjected to heat, impact, friction, detonation, or other suitable initiation, undergoes rapid chemical change, evolving large volumes of highly heated gases that exert pressure on the surrounding medium. The term applies to materials that either detonate or deflagrate. Heat, light, mechanical shock, and certain catalysts initiate explosive reactions. Hydrogen and chlorine react explosively in the presence of light. Acids, bases, and other substances catalyze the explosive polymerization of acrolein, and many metal ions can catalyze the violent decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. Shock-sensitive materials include acetylides, azides, nitrogen triiodide, organic nitrates, nitro compounds, perchlorate salts (especially those of heavy metals such as ruthenium and osmium), many organic peroxides, and compounds containing diazo, halamine, nitroso, and ozonide functional groups. Even a small sample may be dangerous. Furthermore, the hazard is associated not with the total energy released, but rather with the remarkably high rate of a detonation reaction. A high-order explosion of even milligram quantities can drive small fragments of glass or other matter deep into the body. It is important to use minimum amounts of these hazardous materials with adequate shielding and personal protection. A compound is apt to be explosive if its heat of formation is more than about 100 calories per gram (cal/g) less than the sum of the heats of formation of its products. In making this calculation, a reasonable reaction should be used in order to yield the most exothermic products. Scaling up reactions can introduce several hazards. Another situation that can lead to problems is a reaction susceptible to an induction period; particular care must be given to the rate of reagent addition versus its rate of consumption. Finally, the hazards of exothermic reactions or unstable or reactive chemicals are exacerbated under extreme conditions, such as high temperature or high pressure used for hydrogenations, oxygenations, or work with supercritical fluids. The following list is not intended to be all-inclusive. Further guidance on reactive and explosive materials should be sought. Acetylenic compounds can be explosive in mixtures of 2.5 to 80% with air. At pressures of 2 or more atmospheres, acetylene (C2H2) subjected to an electrical discharge or high temperature decomposes with explosive violence. Dry acetylides detonate on receiving the slightest shock. Acetylene must be handled in acetone solution and never stored alone in a cylinder. Aluminum chloride (AlCl3) should be considered a potentially dangerous
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