Sciencemadness Discussion Board
Not logged in [Login ]
Go To Bottom

Printable Version  
Author: Subject: Starting fires by hydrating NaOH.
I am a fish
undersea enforcer
****




Posts: 600
Registered: 16-1-2003
Location: Bath, United Kingdom
Member Is Offline

Mood: Ichthyoidal

[*] posted on 8-1-2004 at 12:55
Starting fires by hydrating NaOH.


I've seen several MSDSs that say that the heat generated by hydration of anhydrous NaOH is sufficient to start fires. I know that NaOH gets hot when hydrated, but this seems fairly extreme! Is the reaction likely to ignite combustible materials, or is this just health and safety paranoia?


(Note: This topic is on the borderline between General Chemistry and Energetic Materials. I wasn't sure which forum to place it in.)




1f `/0u (4|\\| |234d 7|-|15, `/0u |234||`/ |\\|33d 70 937 0u7 /\\/\\0|23.
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
guaguanco
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 216
Registered: 26-11-2003
Member Is Offline

Mood: heterocyclic

[*] posted on 8-1-2004 at 13:45


Quote:
Originally posted by I am a fish
I've seen several MSDSs that say that the heat generated by hydration of anhydrous NaOH is sufficient to start fires. I know that NaOH gets hot when hydrated, but this seems fairly extreme!

It generates a lot of heat. Would 100 gms of NaOH cause a fire? Probably not. Would a mixture of 2 Kg NaOH in 40 liters of Toluene cause a fire if water was dumped in? Quite possibly. There is a certain amount of CYA in the MSDNs, but in this case there is cause for caution.
View user's profile View All Posts By User

  Go To Top