andyloris
Harmless
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Registered: 22-9-2022
Location: France
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First big accident, almost burned my house
First of all, sorry if this is the wrong forum to post this in, if this is the case, feel free to move it.
I was trying to reproduce an experiment that I always wanted to do since I was a child: the reaction of KMnO4 and glycerol.
So I took some aluminum foil, made a small "bowl" with it, added the KMnO4 and then a bit of glycerol. I did this outside, it was very cold (about
2°C) and even after waiting a couple hours, the reaction didn't start.
The mix however became brown, making me think that the KMnO4 was entirely reduced to MnO2, and that the reaction wouldn't proceed.
So I took it back home and threw it in a bin. I then forgot about it and went at the chess club. I was out of home for one hour. However when I went
back home,
I found the kitchen full of smoke, and the top of the contents of the bin on fire. I immediately threw water on it to extinguish the fire. Thankfully,
nothing else burned. I was pretty sure if I stayed 1 or 2 more hours out of home, the entire house would have burned. The funniest thing is that I
realised a bit before throwing the "bomb" in the bin that it could catch on fire but still decided to take the risk for some reason.
The moral of the story is : "Always trust your first idea, especially if you only have one"
Always trust your first idea, especially if you only have one.
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Texium
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Thread Moved
7-2-2023 at 11:44 |
Herr Haber
International Hazard
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Glad you didnt burn your house down !
I'd have flushed it down the sink or hosed it.
I'm pretty sure we could open a thread "I knew it was a bad idea but did it anyway" 
The spirit of adventure was upon me. Having nitric acid and copper, I had only to learn what the words 'act upon' meant. - Ira Remsen
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Cathoderay
Hazard to Self
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You know that with enough oxygen aluminum will burn, especially thin aluminum.
Use steel or ceramic next time.
Also drown any experiment like that with water afterwards whether you see it react or not.
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B(a)P
International Hazard
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Thanks for sharing and glad to hear everything was ok in the end. Do you have a smoke alarm? If not, maybe time to get one, if so, maybe time to get
it tested.
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andyloris
Harmless
Posts: 49
Registered: 22-9-2022
Location: France
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Mood: Lazy
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I have a smoke alarm, but for some reason, the smoke didn't escape the kitchen
Always trust your first idea, especially if you only have one.
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arkoma
Redneck Overlord
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man, I surely could contribute to THAT kinda thread.
It's a good idea IMHO to post our screw-ups--might just inadvertently save someones life down the road.
"We believe the knowledge and cultural heritage of mankind should be accessible to all people around the world, regardless of their wealth, social
status, nationality, citizenship, etc" z-lib
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