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Author: Subject: Bad days in the lab or with glassware?
Skyjumper
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[*] posted on 31-3-2010 at 17:54


add to that a glass reagent bottle filled with 12.5 molar NaOH. To answer your question, it seals up glassware damn good.
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[*] posted on 1-4-2010 at 05:35


Quote:
I can suggest another two uses for broken pieces of heat-resistant borosilicate pyrex-type glass:( ...)
(c) Broken into fairly small pieces, they could be used as "bumping chips" in beakers or flasks in which a liquid is boiled.


This sounds good in theory, but when I've tried it (I used bits of broken glass tubing) it didn't work well at all. Not enough nucleation sites compared with stuff usually used as boiling chips (activated carbon and the like), I'm guessing. Of course it could be ground down even smaller to solve this problem but once it's 'ground glass' rather than macroscopic bits, then you have a new set of inconveniences to deal with.

[Edited on 1-4-2010 by bbartlog]
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[*] posted on 1-4-2010 at 05:43


this one was bad a heavy walled flask used for a pressure rxn unbeknownst to me had a star crack.
a variation in temp caused it to explode at easily 5 atm.
i was laziez fare at the time wound up with deep lacerations on the chest.
and having to concoct a story for the emts.
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[*] posted on 15-4-2010 at 12:34


LIQUEFIED AIR EXPLODES
Prof. Fay Mixed It with Red Phosphorus, with Startling Result
He And A Student Injured
New York Times, October 22, 1898.


Experiment Took Place at the Polytechnic Institute, and Explosion
Luckily Was Downward.**

Experiments with liquefied air in the laboratory of the Polytechnic Institute
Brooklyn, yesterday afternoon ended in an explosion which tore a hole through
the table, knocked out same panes of glass,: and severely injured the professor
in charge. The experiments tried yesterday In the Polytechnic Institute by Prof.
Irving W. Fay are entirely new. It was in trying the effect of mixing liquefied air
with red phosphorus that the explosion was brought about. Prof. Fay will
probably lose the sight of one eye and. will always bear the marks of the
explosion on his face. Lincoln Burrows, a student, was also burned about the
face, but not severely.

Four gallons of liquefied air were taken to the institute on Thursday
afternoon. Yesterday afternoon Prof. Fay, who is the head of the chemistry
department, lectured before the Chemical Society, composed of students in the
institute, and illustrated his lecture by some familiar experiments. When the
lecture ended, half a dozen of the students remained to observe. the professor
try some original experiments. Kerosene, alcohol, and turpentine were among
the objects experimented with, and they wore frozen by the application of the
liquid air. Then yellow phosphorus was taken up. The professor placed it to a.
glass beaker and poured some of the liquid air upon it. The effect was to change
the phosphorus to crystal in structure.**

The professor then determined to try red phosphorus. Red phosphorus has
al ways been held to be indissoluble, and it was the professor's idea that possibly
liquid air might dissolve It. He accordingly placed some of it to the beaker and
poured air upon it. He then poured the mixture on a piece of paper on the table
and bent over it to observe the result. His pupils also bent over it to study it, and
wait for his comments, but were not so near it as he. Burrows was by his side.
The liquid air rapidly evaporates, and in a very short time there was nothing on
the paper but a little pile of red phosphorus. The professor and students examined
it eagerly to note the changes
produced. After a moment he called their attention to the fact that the
phosphorus was a lighter shade of red. He thought at first that the combination
might have changed it to yellow phosphorus, but a further examination led him
to believe that it had became CO2 solid carbon dioxide. [?]

While making these comments the professor stirred the he phosphorus with
a glass rod. Suddenly there was a terrific explosion. The table rocked and shook,
the room was filled with smoke, and the ease in the windows were shattered.
The professor gave a cry of pain and clapped his hand to his eyes. His face had
been torn and burned and his thumb nail torn completely off. The explosion was
a downward one, fortunately for the professor and his pupil and it tore a great
jagged hole In the table. But for the nearness of Dr. Fay’s face to the
phosphorus he would probably have escaped without serious Injury.
Dr. Henry L. Cochran of 141 Clinton Street was hurriedly sent for by his
father Dr. David H. Cochran, who is the President of the Institute. Prof. Fay was
removed to his home, 544 Ninth Street. Burrows's injuries were so slight that he
was able to go home without assistance, after having his wounds dressed by the
doctor. Dr. Arthur Mathewson, an eye and ear specialist, was called In to attend
Prof, Fay at his home.

The cause of the explosion is a question as yet. The theory held by some
of those who witnessed it is that after evaporating the air broke up into atoms,
which combined with the atoms of phosphorus, thereby causing the explosion.


* Explosions don’t “happen downward” they expand in every direction.

** My theory – The BP of LN2 is lower than that of LOX, therefore, as the
nitrogen evaporated the mixture became oxygen rich, the super cold phosphorus
and remaining LOX and coming into intimate contact.
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SWilkin676
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[*] posted on 11-5-2010 at 05:43
Gilding the lily


I was using a bucket/pump recirculator for distillation and somehow a particle of something got into the bucket and got stuck in the condenser right at the point where the wall is closest to the alihn bulb. In hindsight it was pretty stupid thing to worry about, but that little spec was driving me nuts when I was cleaning. So I was fiddleing around with different things like pipe cleaners - flushing water etc etc until I wound up knocking the condenser against the edge of the sink. OUCH!
sighhh
Suzee
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[*] posted on 11-5-2010 at 08:20


I breaking glass only in university :D . Science glassblower can fix glasware sometimes.
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[*] posted on 19-5-2010 at 17:18


Was removing the plastic base from my graduated cylinder in order to dry it with a heat gun and somehow, the glass on the bottom broke making the cylinder useless.
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[*] posted on 20-5-2010 at 00:32


Apparently bromination of alkenes can fire a test tube across a lab.


*whistles innocently*

Surprisingly, my coat is still entirely white.




“If Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would proceed at once with the diligence of the bee to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search.
I was a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety per cent of his labor.”
-Tesla
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mad.gif posted on 27-5-2010 at 22:51


I had a bad week. During my ether distillation the flask bumped as I was adding more sand it shit spilled all over my fume hood, so I had to hose the whole thing down, then my hotplate started causing the circuit breaker to trigger, (the plate is cracked and acid leaked in). However, I took ti apart and after scrubbing the circuit boards clean with a toothbrush and water, it worked.

Also I broke a 90-110 degree thermometer, and vigruex column.....god damn my hands.

I learned that I need a sink to put glass into when I am done with it, so I don't need to carry it around and whatnot, I'm probably going to install one tomorrow.

A LESSON LEARNED IN BLOOD :mad:




The practice of storing bottles of milk or beer in laboratory refrigerators is to be strongly condemned encouraged
-Vogels Textbook of Practical Organic Chemistry
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[*] posted on 28-5-2010 at 10:26


I've always done my ether distillations with boiling chips and not sand. Have never had a problem with bumping probably because the boiling chips have more trapped air bubbles than the sand for nucleation.
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[*] posted on 28-5-2010 at 10:51


Adding any antibumping granules to a hot liquid is practically a recipe for bumping.
They should be in before the heat goes on. . .

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[*] posted on 28-5-2010 at 14:11


I made a nice mess last week in the university lab.

We were doing a series of Benedict's and Tollen's tests for marking, and I dropped a test tube with Benedict's reagent in it (all set up to heat) on the table and shot pretty blue liquid and glass all over the table.

Most amazingly, I got nothing on my lab coat!




“If Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would proceed at once with the diligence of the bee to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search.
I was a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety per cent of his labor.”
-Tesla
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[*] posted on 29-5-2010 at 08:42


Quote: Originally posted by hissingnoise  
Adding any antibumping granules to a hot liquid is practically a recipe for bumping.
They should be in before the heat goes on. . .


It would have been fine had I put the stopper on time D:, granted the rest of the glass would be covered in hard to clean gakk.... and whatever ether I made would be ruined.



[Edited on 29-5-2010 by Chainhit222]




The practice of storing bottles of milk or beer in laboratory refrigerators is to be strongly condemned encouraged
-Vogels Textbook of Practical Organic Chemistry
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[*] posted on 1-6-2010 at 12:07


Was busy distilling anhydrous Ethyl Bromide from CaCl2 outside for a grignard when one of those freak summer storms hit out of nowhere. Went from clear and sunny to a massive rain storm in less than 2 minutes.

My drying tube was wrecked, mantle got wet, and I broke a bowl I use to cool the receiving flask to reduce evaporation.

In addition, both vessels, my distillation pot and receiving pot got water contamination. I now have to transfer everything to a new dry flask and redry everything over fresh CaCl2.

It also cost me a full bag of ice since my cooling water is now useless and my data on changes to the reaction conditions are useless do to product loss from this experience so I won't know if some changes I made in the EtBr synthesis were beneficial or not.
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[*] posted on 3-6-2010 at 07:47


somehow my -20-400 c thermometer i bought from kantu200scientifcstore broke. I am absolutely certain I did not heat it over 140c, nor have I ever bumped it. I noticed it was stuck on 100c, so i gently touched the bulb and it fell apart. :mad::mad::mad:

avoid that cheap ass crap from http://www.kantu200scientificstore.ecrater.com/

I think its time to invest in thermocouples.

[Edited on 3-6-2010 by Chainhit222]




The practice of storing bottles of milk or beer in laboratory refrigerators is to be strongly condemned encouraged
-Vogels Textbook of Practical Organic Chemistry
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[*] posted on 7-6-2010 at 05:32
Human factors in chemical engineering


Theodor Grewer
Thermal Hazards of Chemical Reactions
Elsevier 1994

Case History 14. o-Chloroaniline + nitric acid [7-34]

o-Chloroaniline was transferred into a reaction vessel for nitration. On the
reaction vessel was a feed tank for the supply of mixed acid (30 %
nitric acid in sulfuric acid). Both products were conducted through
different meal hoses. On the day of the incident, the flexible metal
hose for the transport of the mixed acid had been removed for
repair. The operator took the hose which had been used for
o-Chloroaniline and screwed it on the feed tank for mixed acid.
After placing the end of the metal hose into the mixed acid barrel
he opened the valve at the feed tank and took hold of the metal
hose with both hands.

In this moment the metal hose exploded. A violent reaction in the
hose destroyed it for a length of 1 m. The operator was severely
injured. He lost some of the fingers and part of one hand.

Although the o-Chloroaniline had been carefully poured out of the
metal hose about 20 g had been left in hose as a succeeding test
showed. The explanation of the explosion is very simple:
According to the literature about rocket propellants,
o-Chloroaniline like many other amines forms a hypergolic
mixture with nitric acid [7-35]. By a simple laboratory
experimentit was shown that mixed acid had the same effects as
pure nitric acid: 20 g o-Chloroaniline were stirred in a glass
beaker. 50 cm3 of mixed acid (30% HNO3) were rapidly added. A
violent reaction accompanied by fire occurred immediately.

[7-34] Sichere Chemiearbeit 37, (1985)
[7-35] A. Dadieu, et al Raketentreibstoffe. Springer-Verlag, Wein,
New York 1698


----
The hose connections on my oxygen and acetylene welding tanks/torch
are both threaded differently to prevent mis-connection. I would suspect/hope
they changed connections to prevent a re-occurrence!




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[*] posted on 9-6-2010 at 05:50
Sodium - water


2ii89 UPI Newswire

Teacher blinded as he saves students

DURHAM, N.C. (UPI) _ A high school chemistry teacher who raced
from his classroom with a vial of flaming chemicals to save his
students may have been permanently blinded when the vial
exploded, doctors fear.

But the quick action by Suryanarayana Chittilla saved the students
in his Class at Durham High School from being severly injured,
Durham School system officials said Wednesday. The accident
damaged the teacher's eyes and doctors are not sure how extensive
the damage is. The Durham Morning Herald reported Thursday
doctors have told Chittilla he has been blinded and they are not sure
if he will regain his sight.

George Wylie, assistant superintendent for city schools, said the
medical center has not released any word about Chittilla's eyes.
"They will remain bandaged for a couple of days and then the
doctors will give us some statement," Wylie said.

The accident occurred Tuesday morning when students were
arranging chemicals in a laboratory when water accidentally mixed
with a vial of sodium metal. Such a mixture turns into lye and can
explode.

Chittilla told the newspaper his only thought was getting the vial
out of the classroom. The windows were closed, so he grabbed the
vial and ran from the classroom and tried to leave the building,
Chittilla said.

"I didn't want the vial to explode in the school," Chittilla said. "I ran
down the steps with flames coming out of the container. I reached
the door and had my hand out to push the door open when the vial
exploded.

Principal Barbara Ellis accompanied Chittilla to the Duke Medical
Center.

"We are deeply saddened by this," Ellis said. "I want people to
know we have teachers who are willing to risk their lives for the
safety of students."

"There was glass on the ceiling, the walls and the floor. It was a
tremendous explosion," Wylie said of the hallway near the building
exit. "Were it not for his quick thinking this could have been a very
grave situation for more people."

The school system's personnel department said Chittilla is a native
of India who came to the United States in 1967. He has been
teaching at Durham High School since 1985.


----------
....when water accidentally mixed with a vial of sodium metal

You can file that with — The police were unable to immediately
explain how they shot the suspect in the back while he was
attacking them.


[Edited on 9-6-2010 by The WiZard is In]
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[*] posted on 9-6-2010 at 06:44


On thick-walled pyrex vial, trying to insert a ground glass stopper, the opening expanded and broke :(
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[*] posted on 11-6-2010 at 20:40


One of my worst days in the lab.

It was when I was 12 at Montessori school.

I was bubbling Cl2 into KI solution to make Iodine water to test for unsaturation in cyclohexene.

The lab didn't have a sink. So for some stupid reason when I was cleaning up, I took the KMnO4 + HCl chlorine generator in a confined bathroom.

I got a fair amount of Cl2 gas and could feel the HCl and HOCl in my lungs. Luckily I was unharmed.

Learned a big lesson on lab safety.




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[*] posted on 12-6-2010 at 14:41


Quote: Originally posted by mewrox99  
One of my worst days in the lab.

It was when I was 12 at Montessori school.

I was bubbling Cl2 into KI solution to make Iodine water to test for unsaturation in cyclohexene.

The lab didn't have a sink. So for some stupid reason when I was cleaning up, I took the KMnO4 + HCl chlorine generator in a confined bathroom.

I got a fair amount of Cl2 gas and could feel the HCl and HOCl in my lungs. Luckily I was unharmed.

Learned a big lesson on lab safety.


I gave my AP chemistry class a field trip to the hospital because of a bromine spill. And evacuated the school. I was a hero the next day... And nothing on my permanent record either!




The practice of storing bottles of milk or beer in laboratory refrigerators is to be strongly condemned encouraged
-Vogels Textbook of Practical Organic Chemistry
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[*] posted on 15-6-2010 at 06:49
Dead at the bench


Obiturary.

Edward Charles Spurge.

Edward Charles Spurge, general manager of the Ozone Vanillin Company of
Niagara Falls, N.Y., died on November 6th, in his laboratory of that company, in
consequence of inhaling fumes of hydrocyanic acid with which he was
conducting some experiments.

Born in Witham, in Essex, he was a B.S. of the University of London, and a fellow
of the Institute of Chemistry. For several years he pursued research work in
Germany, France, and Italy. He went to the United States in the summer of 1904
and settled at Niagara Falls.

The Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry.
31 [24] 1167 December 31, 1912.
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[*] posted on 19-6-2010 at 12:04
Explosion in high school chemistry class


Explosion in high school chemistry class injures teacher, 7 students
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
By The Daily Freeman

BOICEVILLE [NY]— Seven students and their teacher were injured Tuesday morning in
an Onteora High School chemistry class by an explosion that was strong enough to
damage windows, according to police and school district officials.

The eight people were treated at Kingston and Benedictine hospitals and released,
police said.

State police identified the teacher as Donald Bucher and said the students were 11th-
graders. School district officials declined to release the names of any of the injured
parties but said the parents of the affected students were notified.

The teacher and two of the students were treated for lacerations, apparently caused
by flying pieces of broken glass, and the other students were checked for minor
injuries, the district said. The nature of those injuries was not specified.

State police Capt. Patrick Regan described the laceration suffered by Bucher as
“significant” and said the students’ cuts were less serious.

State police said some people in the classroom also suffered temporary hearing loss.

The accident, which occurred about 11 a.m., drew the Olive police and fire
departments, the state police and several ambulance squads to the high school on
state Route 28 in Boiceville. Hazardous materials teams were not called, and the
school was not evacuated.

The explosion occurred during a fifth-period chemistry class while the teacher was
demonstrating the properties of the chemical potassium chlorate, the school district
said in a prepared statement. The statement said the teacher used fewer than 3
grams of the substance and that the blast, caused by an unexpected chemical
reaction, happened during a demonstration of potassium chlorate’s reaction to food
products.

Onteora Board of Education President Laurie Osmond said a faulty test tube might
have been to blame for the accident.

A science teacher in a different room described the explosion as sounding like a door
slamming loudly, though the blast was so strong that it damaged windows in the
room where it occurred, the district said.

Regan called the explosion “impressive” and said it was the result of an “experiment
that went awry.”

Teachers in the wing of the building where the explosion occurred rushed to the
classroom immediately, followed by the school’s Quick Response Team, the district
said. The response team comprises administrators, nurses, social workers and
counselors.

The high school was placed in modified lockdown — officially called a “stay put” — so
the injured students and staff member could be moved as efficiently as possible, the
district said.

The district said everything in the building was back to normal by 1:30 p.m.

Correspondent Jay Braman Jr. and staff writers Paul Kirby and Kyle Wind contributed to
this report.

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/01/20/blotter/doc4...
30860.prt

-----------
Potassium chlorate and food? Other than the obvious “food” in its supermarket very
fine granulation……?! Gummi Bears perhaps. However, potassium
chlorates exciting cousin sodium chlorate is commonly used in
Parr Bomb calorimeters to measure heat content of foods &c. /djh/


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[*] posted on 19-6-2010 at 18:36


oh the molten Potassium chlorate demo.... I've almost blown the blast window on a school fume hood out doing a sodium demo...
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[*] posted on 20-6-2010 at 21:58


Today wasn't good.

Dropped a 1 week old 150mL Erlenmeyer flask onto hard tiles. Shattered and glass was everywhere. While I was sweeping up the glass I accidentally knocked the table. A 250mL Erlenmeyer flask filled with dilute NaOH, a beaker and a box of NaOH spilled everywhere.

At least the 250mL flask and beaker survived, but cleaning up bits of wasted money isn't fun :(




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[*] posted on 21-6-2010 at 07:14
Perchloric acid


K. Everett and F.A. Graf Jr.
Handling Perchloric Acid and Perchlorates.
In:— N.V. Steere, ed.
Handbook of Laboratory Safety
Second Edition - 1971.

A violent explosion took place in an exhaust duct from a laboratory hood in which
perchloric acid solution was being fumed over a gas plate. It blew out windows,
bulged the exterior walls, lifted the roof, and extensively damaged equipment and
supplies. Some time prior to the explosion, the hood had been used for the
analysis of miscellaneous materials. The explosion apparently originated in
deposits of perchloric acid and organic material in the hood and duct.

An employee dropped a 7-lb bottle of perchloric acid solution on a concrete floor.
The liquid was taken up with sawdust and placed in a covered, metal waste can.
Four hours later, a light explosion blew open the hinged cover of the can.

A stone table of a fume hood was patched with a glycerin cement and several
years latter, when the hood was being removed, the table exploded when a
workman struck the stone with a chisel.

During routine maintenance involving partial dismantling of the exhaust blower on
a perchloric acid ventilating system, a detonation followed a light blow with a
hammer on a chisel held against the fan at or near the seal between the rear
cover plate and the fan casing. The intensity of the explosion was such that is
was heard four miles away and of the three employees in the vicinity, one
sustained face laceration and slight eye injury; the second suffered loss of four
fingers on one hand and possible loss of sight in one eye; the third was fatally
injured with the 6 in. chisel entering below his left nostril and embedded in the
brain.
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