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plante1999
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Marked by chemistry
This story happened the 25 December 2012.
I was trying to make iodic acid from iodine. The usual procedure use nitric acid but the second Brauer one use hydrogen peroxide and less nitric acid.
As it as taken me 36 h to make the nitric acid I had, I didn't wanted to use much of it so I decided to used second Brauer prep. being cheap on the
nitric. I was fallowing most of the Brauer prep. but to be safe I used an ice bath when mixing the two reagent. The nitric acid was yellow and the
hydrogen peroxide was home- concentrated. I had two layers of cloth and goggles on as well as heavy nitrile gloves. I mixed 10 ml H2O2 with 20 ml
HNO3, very shortly after a rocket like reaction took place and I got mist and droplets on my face. I trowed my goggles and my gloves, and run to the
tap water source and washed my face for about 5 minutes then I took my leftover sodium bicarbonate and put it everywhere on my work-space asd well as
ten liter of water. My gloves studently catched fire on the ground, but I didn't care and runned inside to take a shower. When I looked in the mirror
before the shower I had about 1/3 of the face covered with white and yellow burn. I took a shower and then I looked again in the miror and foun only
few remaining spot, most on the rigth side of the mouth, some very close to my rigth eye and some few cm under my left eye. Few hour later the burn
where blood red, I had some pink spot, some purle spot and some blood red and yellow spot.
The yellow/ blood red one are very deep and will probably lets there mark for my life, there is two burn like these one on my face, the one under the
left eye and the big few inch one near my mouth. The skin near my mouth look like if it was melted. They look terrible.
The moral is that you should know the reagent you are working on, and that theoretical is NOT practical, it was the second time I worked with nitric
and first with conc. peroxide. I think an impurity was present in the nitric acid which catalyzed hydrogen peroxide fast decomposition making mist of
nitric acid and peroxide. The impurity may even be nitrogen oxides.
FAQ:
Q: Will you continue chemistry?
A: Yes of course, it is the only thing I know/Like
Q: Does your father ask you to stop chemistry?
A: No, he is very comprehensiveness and say he did took danger when he was yougn.
Q: Does it hurt?
A: Not at all.
Q: What will you do now?
A: Continue to do chemistry, albeit more safely. I cannot not accept having life time scars.
I never asked for this.
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Oscilllator
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Now I know never to mix DIY nitric acid with hydrogen peroxide. Thanks.
BTW, I really think we need a sticky where people can post all the things you shouldn't do, such as this. It should probably go in energetic
materials.
EDIT: Oh, and how did you concentrate your hydrogen peroxide?
[Edited on 28-12-2012 by Oscilllator]
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elementcollector1
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I'm sorry to hear that. Is it really going to be a permanent wound?
I had a burn from a combination of bromine/sulfuric acid (oddly analogous to your nitric/iodine mix), which at first stained my skin gray, then brown,
and now it's the usual red. It seems to be well on track to healing, despite its initial horrific looks.
Elements Collected:52/87
Latest Acquired: Cl
Next in Line: Nd
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plante1999
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The deep one will probably be permanent, softer pink one will probably heal fast. Face skin is not like hand one.
This thread does not deserve energetic at all. Sticky could help other peoples tough.
I never asked for this.
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Oscilllator
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Quote: Originally posted by plante1999  |
The deep one will probably be permanent, softer pink one will probably heal fast. Face skin is not like hand one.
This thread does not deserve energetic at all. Sticky could help other peoples tough. |
I wasn't saying that this thread in particular should go in energetic materials. Rather I was suggesting that the sticky of what not to do should go
there, because most mishaps in chemistry occur around energetic materials
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kristofvagyok
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Sorry to hear this accident, hope you will recover soon.
First what should be noted is: chemistry is dangerous, it can and it will cause accidents the only thing what could be done is to minimalize the
chance and the damage what is caused by them.
Working with cc. HNO3 always require special protection, especially if it is over 95% or it it mixed with H2O2. The nitrile gloves won't do anything,
you were lucky that it didn't burned in your hand. Always use butyl rubber gloves and a face shield, not goggles... Similarly as here:
The second thing what should be noted: H2O2 is often stabilized with organic compounds what reacts with ccHNO3 readily, so always test it with small
amounts before pouring the two reagent together.
And the third: I've made HIO3 long ago and it was an easy reaction. I used recipe similar to Bauer method no.1 with the excess HNO3 and just traces of
H2O2. It works well, it is not that dangerous and as I remember just drops of H2O2 is needed if the reaction slows down...
I have a blog where I post my pictures from my work: http://labphoto.tumblr.com/
-Pictures from chemistry, check it out(:
"You can’t become a chemist and expect to live forever." |
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hyfalcon
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I was thinking dropping a quantity of concentrated H2O2 into HNO3 would be a bad idea anyway. Drop by drop additions on anything involving mineral
acids and peroxides is the only way to proceed. You may luck out on the burns though. A year from now you may have a hard time even seeing where
those burns are.
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plante1999
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@Oscillator
You can look on my website for more information on my hydrogen peroxide concentration procedure.
@Kristofvagyok
I will rather use neoprene now, as I can't find butyl one. Yes face shield would be nice, but I already want to buy a lab coat and neoprene/butyl
ruber gloves, I don't have the mean of a commercial lab if you get what I mean.
@Hyfalcon
I hope they will heal that fast, but they are very deep and I think it will take more than a year to disappear. The skin look like if as melted...
I never asked for this.
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Vargouille
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The yellow burn sounds like a nitric acid burn, I've had one myself, and it went away within a week. Hopefully it'll all get better, Plante.
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Endimion17
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Before production, always make an experiment with small quantities. You never know what kind of impurities are inside which can react vigorously.
Face shield is a must when working with larger quantities of corrosives.
Use that silver creme and try not to expose yourself to rain and dirt. If there's blood, that's third degree burn and it should take a while for the
skin to recover. You'll end up with a longlasting or permanent scar, but using Ag-sulphadiazine reduces scars cause they're not just caused by the
initial damage, but by bacteria, too.
Go to your doctor or ER and say you've been working with hydrochloric acid and peroxide mix. It's perfectly legal and very similar to the stuff you've
made. It's not like there are potential lethal outcomes like with WP. Just lie and grab that creme as soon as possible.
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blogfast25
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I wish you a speedy and full recovery.
I also hope that this will make you think twice about the safety precautions needed for working with F2!
Contact me when you're ready...
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woelen
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I am sad to read that this has happened to you. At the same time I think it is very good that you post this on sciencemadness. It is a warning for
others and it helps yourself putting all things in perspective.
I hope that you will have fast recovery and that in the long run the scars will hardly be visible (if any at all). Also very good that you stick to
chemistry, but please, be even more careful than you already were.
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Endimion17
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Q: Does it hurt?
A: Not at all.
That's third degree allright. Damaged nervous tissue.  Expect tingling and pain
when they start growing again.
Have you got the creme already?
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plante1999
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| Quote: Originally posted by woelen | I am sad to read that this has happened to you. At the same time I think it is very good that you post this on sciencemadness. It is a warning for
others and it helps yourself putting all things in perspective.
I hope that you will have fast recovery and that in the long run the scars will hardly be visible (if any at all). Also very good that you stick to
chemistry, but please, be even more careful than you already were. |
It was what I thought when I putted it on SM, the objective is to prevent others. It is really not fun to have burned face and difficulty laughing at
things because your skin don't move.
Thanks everyone for your comment, I appreciate it, I would have put a picture, but as some may know I do not have a camera.
I do think without creme, I guess I could make some...
I may have expressed myself wrongly, the deep burn are yellow and blood red at the same time, the color faded to dried blood color now.
@Blogfast
You got a U2U.
I never asked for this.
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Poppy
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Lust, sounds like "careful addition of conc. H2SO4 to hot conc. NaOH" and then bring your beaker and slowly try not to be killed.
Mineral acid are all badasses. Except for highschool chemistry everything seems to involve uncontrollable smokes and fire when dealing with any
concentrate.
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hyfalcon
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| Quote: Originally posted by Endimion17 | Before production, always make an experiment with small quantities. You never know what kind of impurities are inside which can react vigorously.
Face shield is a must when working with larger quantities of corrosives.
Use that silver creme and try not to expose yourself to rain and dirt. If there's blood, that's third degree burn and it should take a while for the
skin to recover. You'll end up with a longlasting or permanent scar, but using Ag-sulphadiazine reduces scars cause they're not just caused by the
initial damage, but by bacteria, too.
Go to your doctor or ER and say you've been working with hydrochloric acid and peroxide mix. It's perfectly legal and very similar to the stuff you've
made. It's not like there are potential lethal outcomes like with WP. Just lie and grab that creme as soon as possible. |
That's good stuff for skin burns of any kind.
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cyanureeves
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believe me acne scars are even worse i've had them all my life and you can at least say they are chemical burns but i was always accused of having
hairy palms.i was always like huh? dont you? and you? for sure you!no? but why not? i should've known that everything in my life is just about me.
thanks for being my tutor when sciencemadness is down and i will sure as hell concentrate my own peroxide and will add it to nitric too.... i will be
covered from head to toe of course.that peroxide method you do is simply awesome and now i will be able to do that amythist color iron crystal thing.
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Oscilllator
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Thanks for the method on concentrating hydrogen peroxide! I'd heard people talk about that method before but have never had any evidence that it
worked.
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plante1999
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You are welcome for the method of concentrating H2O2. If you have compound synthesis you want me to write down or experiment, please ask. I'm more
entertained to write when people ask!
Now my burns start to cicatrize and they hurt.
Yes I will be more careful, especially for fluorine...
Does neoprene is as good or superior to butyl gloves?
I never asked for this.
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Fantasma4500
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Not stopping chemistry, thats the spirit!
i would of said you should have tried mixing smaller amounts at first to see how it would act, but already 30 mL in total isnt much..
im sure i wouldnt stop chemistry if some accident happened to me, i would do the same, and be better prepared another time..
Hope you will heal without that many permanent marks..
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plante1999
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Yes I don't stop chemistry but I must think about how I will do things now.
I took webcam pictures, there is many spot we CANT see on these pictures. I had a "baby" skin, so each spot you see is a burn. Like I said in the
original post, at the beginning I had 1/3 of the face burned but readily the majority of the burn disappeared fast. These are the remaining spot,
there many spot you can't see but the main is in the right orbit, under the nose, in one in the right ear one in the right nozil, one on my right face
side. Burn are 1 to 2 mm deep and the one under my left eye is 3 mm deep. I look somewhat like "the terminator" after a fight because of the deep
burns.
I don't know if it is something ask-able but I do think this thread need to be sticky.
[Edited on 29-12-2012 by plante1999]
I never asked for this.
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neptunium
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so thats why you didnt answer your email!! lol
well i am glad your ok and these spots on your face should disapear in a few days ...
i had a hole in my arm made by HN03 and hot sulfuric acid...it looked gruesome but was small and went away in a week or two..
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plante1999
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I don't think they will disappear, they will left mark... The skin look like melted and the burn are mostly 2 mm deep.
Send me back the email and I will answer it!
I never asked for this.
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Vargouille
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The human body is surprisingly resilient. Those white hydrogen peroxide burns went away pretty quickly, as did the yellow nitric acid burns. Given
enough time, you'll be fit as a fiddle, 'pon me life.
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plante1999
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I hope you are right. Anyway I have heavy swelling near my wound, what should I do for it?
I never asked for this.
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