I got at about a ml of concentrated H2SO4 on my 65% polyster/35% cotton lab coat on tuesday and when I was leaving the lab there was only a brown
stain so I thought nothing of it and stashed the lab coat in my locker. The next morning I noticed a bit acid burn on my t-shirt. Is it likely that
when I get my lab coat outta my locker next monday, there'll be a big dirty acid burn hole on it or would this polyester/cotton blend fabric have
greater acid resistance than my 100% cotton t-shirt? blogfast25 - 18-11-2010 at 13:16
Polyester definitely resists H2SO4 better than cotton: but you'll probably find some damage on Monday.
Like most stains they're best treated early on: in the case of acid, wash with copious amounts of water immediately after the spill or ASAP...
But a lab coat isn't a lab coat without some acid burn holes: those who don't make any mistakes make nothing at all...cnidocyte - 18-11-2010 at 13:59
But a lab coat isn't a lab coat without some acid burn holes: those who don't make any mistakes make nothing at all...
Thats exactly the way I see it but the lab technician disagrees. Rather than blindly follow instructions from a lab book, I prefer to understand why
I'm doing what I'm doing and this requires me to make the odd mistake here and there. psychokinetic - 18-11-2010 at 14:44
I thought that was the mistake as aforementioned.entropy51 - 18-11-2010 at 15:28
He obviously didn't understand that sulfuric acid is corrosive, so I think he should stop ignoring the lab book.
[Edited on 18-11-2010 by entropy51]
Everyone on earth knows that H2SO4 is corrosive. I meant in general I prefer to learn through trial and error than blindly follow instructions from a
book. Following instructions you can replicate what you've done but you won't know what all the steps are for therefore you wont know how to modify
the methods if there is a change in variables. blogfast25 - 20-11-2010 at 09:10
Still, don't venture too far from the book: there'll be plenty of time to get creative later... ;-) Copying is an integral part of any learning
process...
[Edited on 20-11-2010 by blogfast25]Magpie - 20-11-2010 at 09:39
By all means seek a thorough understanding of the procedural steps - but follow them - at least the first time. Then you can venture out after you
have successfully performed the procedure as written.
Many procedures, especially the older ones, are succinctly written. There's not much explanation of why things are done, but some may be vital to
safety.
The author of the procedure likely experienced some trial and error in developing the procedure. It also should have received peer review and been
proved by others prior to being published.
I will admit, however, that I have found procedures, especially from patent literature, that seem to be just garbage. But who knows, my skills aren't
perfect either. 12AX7 - 20-11-2010 at 17:19
I have a number of shirts with thin, white or black spots, where the cotton was destroyed while the poly (white or black threads in my case, but this
depends on the shirt) threads survived.
