Sciencemadness Discussion Board

HAZMAT called at UCSD

Brain&Force - 29-8-2014 at 19:20

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Hazmat-Crews-Respondin...

No injuries were reported. There aren't any details as to what chemicals were mixed, but I have an excellent feeling this is overblown. What do you think?

Amos - 29-8-2014 at 19:40

You know those guys at the fire department were just itching to bring out the big guns. They freak out this same way anytime a couple of grams of picric acid are found at a university.

Magpie - 29-8-2014 at 19:51

That's my guess too: picric acid or maybe some TNT.

Didn't picric acid use to be made in school labs to make a yellow dye?

Brain&Force - 29-8-2014 at 20:41

Another link from Reddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/UCSD/comments/2ez37p/ucsd_building_e...

I've included links to this and the TMS azide explosion that Cheddite Cheese talked about.

Amos - 29-8-2014 at 20:44

Quote: Originally posted by Magpie  
That's my guess too: picric acid or maybe some TNT.

Didn't picric acid use to be made in school labs to make a yellow dye?


That was my immediate thought, but it said they mixed two chemicals together. I heard about a bottle of mixed acetone and nitric acid exploded quite violently at night in a lab once; maybe it's something along those lines.

The_Davster - 29-8-2014 at 21:02

what retard found picric acid and wet themselves?

Brain&Force - 30-8-2014 at 10:40

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/29/lab-accident-prom...

It was silver nitrate and ethanol. Isn't that mixture used in electrophilic substitutions, if I'm not mistaken?

PHILOU Zrealone - 31-8-2014 at 11:48

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force  
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/29/lab-accident-prom...

It was silver nitrate and ethanol. Isn't that mixture used in electrophilic substitutions, if I'm not mistaken?

Resulting in probable in situ formation of sensitive Ag fulminate...
CH3-CH2OH + AgNO3 -unequilibrated-> AgO-N=C + CO2 + H2O
A few mg into a glass recipient with flamable ethanol is quite a treat if spontaneous detonation occurs! A bit like an activated grenade...Maybe was Bruno Mars involved? ... "I got a grenade for you..." Joke :):D;)



[Edited on 31-8-2014 by PHILOU Zrealone]