Hello everyone!
I've been cleaning up my garage lab and what I found was this pickles jar filled 1/5 of its depth by almost pure NaClO3 I had previsously stored for
use as an accelerator for a phosphating bath patent replica. Long months have passed since the jar was last opened, the problem is I had put a silicon
seal on the lid as for it has been tightly closed and kept the powder inside so dry it puffs a cloud of fine sand when shaken (read somewhere I once
told pickles jar allow tons of humidities to contaminate your samples).
So, was that just a good idea?
I can't open the jar anymore. I think the NaClO3 decomposed and raised the pressure inside the vessel waht do I do???
Its a precious sample worth $15!!Bot0nist - 16-2-2013 at 18:49
I don't understand exactly what your fear is here. Explosive decompression if you open it? From what. Can't you destroy the jar if you really
"can't" open it?AJKOER - 17-2-2013 at 06:43
1. Avoid strong light contact as any ClO2 formed will explode and perhaps detonate the remaining NaClO3.
2. The gas may be O2 and not ClO2. However, the latter is also shock sensitive explosive. So handle (without directly using your hands) carefully.
3. I would (wearing appropriate safety measures) drop the jar into a barrel (or large plastic garbage can) of cold water. Then punch a hole in the lip
to flood the jar.
4. At this point, remove the jar containing aqueous NaClO3 and do with as you like.
[Edited on 17-2-2013 by AJKOER]unionised - 17-2-2013 at 07:10
ClO2 is very strongly coloured. If there isn't a cloud of green/ yellow vapour in the jar, you don't have ClO2.
There's more than one sort of pickle jar. Does it have a metal lid or a glass one? Vargouille - 17-2-2013 at 07:13
What is this silicon seal? If it is the kind that I am thinking of, it is entirely possible that it simply hardened over time. Also, is there proof
that chlorate would decompose so readily in this kind of scenario? The_Davster - 17-2-2013 at 09:06
1. Avoid strong light contact as any ClO2 formed will explode and perhaps detonate the remaining NaClO3.
*Facepalm*
You have sodium chlorate in a pickle jar. The lid is stuck. Either find someone stronger to open the lid, hit the gym, or break the jar.Poppy - 17-2-2013 at 09:49
It s a metal lid, sealed by a silicone circle obtained from a silicone foil about 1 mm thick I had previously made for this purpose.
I opened it
After taking the jar ouside and wearing a full set of leather jacket and gloves, scarf and a motorcycle helmet the jar was opened like a freshly
acquired normal pickles.
Fortunately the product was trust worthy, and decomposition of sodium chlorate is not a problem, at least this sample, as indeed it contained a bit
of NaOH.
Anyway extra precaution is adviced when sealing glass container as it really is just a bad, bad idea.
