DougTheMapper - 24-4-2010 at 14:21
Hello everybody, I have a question which I hope can be answered.
I made a tiny (c. 5ml) "test" nitration bath using a commercial sulfuric acid drain opener and potassium nitrate stump remover whose MSDS claims 100%
KNO3. (spectracide) The SA is labelled "Virgin Sulfuric Acid with Stabilizers" and is pinkish in hue.
Anyway, upon mixing both, the mixture starts fuming a thin and hardly noticeable white fog. It's very gentle like that of RFNA, and it has a rather
profound effect on the senses. While having no smell, just catching a whiff as the ambient air currents changed (I was in the garage) gave me an
instant and surprising case of "tunnel vision" and had me nervously jogging down the driveway for fresh air.
Shaken, I held my breath as I crashed the bath into a waiting bucket of cold water, then let the garage air out for a good hour. I normally play
things really safe - this incident came way too close for comfort.
Is this normal for a nitration bath, or do I have some impurity which might be producing these noxious vapors?
-DTM
quicksilver - 24-4-2010 at 14:58
"Stabilizers" may mean anything.
There ARE masks that have filtration systems that knock out NOx fumes: 3M makes a good one (NIOSH) double cylinder, carbon + filtrate.
When working without a fume-hood it's highly advisable to have a pretty obvious sweep of fresh air blowing in a direction away from you OR an
entrapped space. A covered space such as a garage without an inrush of fresh air could possibly spell disaster. "Tunnel vision" is a serious warning
sign albeit that it may occur from other than NOx poisoning. No one needs to re-iterate the toxic mature of NOx fumes.