Sciencemadness Discussion Board

How the hell do I get rid of this crap?

killswitch - 30-6-2013 at 06:32

So I have a messy emulsion-riddled gunk of chlorinated nitroaromatics. Since I didn't follow the procedure exactly, I'm thinking of starting over and leaving the gunk to dry.

Problem is, what the hell do you do with it? I washed it with water, and the water is a very unhealthy-looking green color. Since there's got to be chlorinated aromatics in there, I'm not pouring that water down my pipes or dumping it outside. And I don't have many glass containers.

What do you do with the weird-colored wastewater from aromatic nitrations?

BromicAcid - 30-6-2013 at 06:48

Fenton's Reagent!

Searching will give the full story but though oxygen radicals, hydroxyl radicals, or whatever the explanation is, a mixture of slightly acidic hydrogen peroxide with iron catalyst will destroy just about anything organic you put into it. It will destroy aromatic rings. It will destroy easy stuff too. If solubility is an issue, once the reaction gets going and it starts plopping hydroxyl groups on there I've found the insolubles become solubles.

Ral123 - 30-6-2013 at 07:23

Blow up the nitrated aromatics as overcharge anfo. And don't forget to tell if it left poisonous gas. So If I pour some H2SO4 in my 30% H2O2 bottle, it will dissolve it?

scottjm - 30-6-2013 at 08:59

If I got this right you should NOT make ANFO with you chlorinated nitroaromatics. The AN and your chlorinated nitroaromatics most likely have some incompatibilities.

Ral123 - 30-6-2013 at 09:24

Mix on site. What, you suggest when the stuff is mixed it will detonate by itself like AP?

scottjm - 30-6-2013 at 09:50

Not necessarily detonate spontaneously, but be very sensitive and unstable.

AndersHoveland - 30-6-2013 at 13:37

Base piranha. Just mix some 15% H2O2 into ammonia to make it basic and boil the solution. It will oxidize anything organic. Gradually add in more H2O2 as needed.

Ral123 - 30-6-2013 at 13:38

But wasn't that a hydrazine recipe?

weiming1998 - 1-7-2013 at 04:41

Quote: Originally posted by Ral123  
But wasn't that a hydrazine recipe?


No it isn't a hydrazine recipe. Any hydrazine that forms from that mixture would immediately decompose/become oxidized to gaseous nitrogen if a complexing/thickening agent such as gelatin or a ketone (immediately reacting with the hydrazine formed, resulting in the more stable azine) isn't added to the mix.

Apart from peroxide-based mixtures, hot, concentrated alkali (boiling NaOH/KOH solution) should destroy chlorinated organic compounds efficiently as well.

woelen - 1-7-2013 at 10:35

Quote: Originally posted by killswitch  
So I have a messy emulsion-riddled gunk of chlorinated nitroaromatics. Since I didn't follow the procedure exactly, I'm thinking of starting over and leaving the gunk to dry.

Problem is, what the hell do you do with it? I washed it with water, and the water is a very unhealthy-looking green color. Since there's got to be chlorinated aromatics in there, I'm not pouring that water down my pipes or dumping it outside. And I don't have many glass containers.

What do you do with the weird-colored wastewater from aromatic nitrations?
One way to get rid of the crap is add 100 ml or so of ligroin to the mix, shake well, allow formation of two layers of liquid and separate the ligroin layer (which is on top) from the aqueous layer. The ligroin then can be burnt in a safe place. All of the crap also burns, together with the ligroin. You'll probably get a sooty fire, but no dangerous and toxic crap remains. Burning the ligroin safely can be done by pouring all of it on an old towel or a big dot of wadding and igniting that.

The aqueous layer can be neutralized with sodium carbonate and flushed down the drain with a lot of water.

AndersHoveland - 2-7-2013 at 01:32

Quote: Originally posted by Ral123  
But wasn't that a hydrazine recipe?

In the absence of a catalyst and at room temperature, the oxidation of NH4OH by H2O2 is negligible. The main reaction is probably hydroxide ions catalyzing the decomposition of H2O2. This generates transient radicals.

Under other conditions, H2O2 can oxidize NH4OH to a variety of different products, depending on the reaction conditions.

Trotsky - 2-7-2013 at 20:27

I'd be extremely wary of chlorinated nitro aromatics. Chlorobenzene is bad enough. I imagine nitro chlorobenzene is much worse.