Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Less Idiocy than I used to exhibit

Less Idiocy than I used to exhibit

arkoma - 22-5-2014 at 20:37

I have done/do stupid stuff.

Like brush the hot legs of house wiring with the back of my (right) hand to see if the are live. Or just change electric components out w/o bothering to turn off the mains.

I've always been bad about tasting stuff too. If I worry about battery acid on my hands I just take a quick lick.........

Its a wonder I've made it to 50 without any serious health problems.

Since I came to SciMad I've re-engaged my brain, thank goodness, and its a good thing. The "epiphany", for lack of a better word, came yesterday when I was checking up on Nickel (II) compounds, which it seems I have.

I ALMOST TASTED NICKEL (II) CHLORIDE thinking it was just un-reacted NaCl discolored by Iron (II) Chloride. Turns out just a tad bit can be pretty damn detrimental to your health. I've been generating a bit of it it seems, as I use a stainless steel anode in my electrolytic cell BECAUSE that way I don't have to worry about chlorine fumes. Instead I made a toxin/carcinogen LOL.

So I guess what I'm saying, especially to those who just got that "spark" of curiosity, is be cautious (not SCARED) and do a little research on what you've got and especially on what ya DON"T know you've got.

Thanx, SciMad.

Pat

Zyklon-A - 22-5-2014 at 20:56

Although I've never done really stupid things (eg. Touch high voltage live wires intentionally, taste anything in the lab ever), I must say I have learned a lot about proper safety pro cautions as well since I've been on this forum.

bismuthate - 23-5-2014 at 02:33

Your not the only one. Once when I was making zinc chloride from Zn and HCl. I used zinc from a battery and accidentally used one with MnO2. That was a bad mistake. I've also learned a lot (but not nearly enough) from this forum.

The Volatile Chemist - 23-5-2014 at 04:56

Quote: Originally posted by bismuthate

Your not the only one. Once when I was making zinc chloride from Zn and HCl. I used zinc from a battery and accidentally used one with MnO2. That was a bad mistake. I've also learned a lot (but not nearly enough) from this forum.

I have too. What'd that do?

hissingnoise - 23-5-2014 at 05:03

OK! Picture this . . . A 15 year old is fucking with an NST?

He strikes an arc between two nail points whch begin to fuse into molten globs and when the arc breaks down he blows on the hot steel to cool it down . . .

Then, having momentarily forgotten a major portion of his meagre wits, he, with his little pinkie gingerly touches the, still hot, metal nail . . .

The profanity! Oh the profanity!!!

DrAldehyde - 23-5-2014 at 07:25

Quote: Originally posted by hissingnoise

OK! Picture this . . . A 15 year old is fucking with an NST?

He strikes an arc between two nail points whch begin to fuse into molten globs and when the arc breaks down he blows on the hot steel to cool it down . . .

Then, having momentarily forgotten a major portion of his meagre wits, he, with his little pinkie gingerly touches the, still hot, metal nail . . .

The profanity! Oh the profanity!!!

Ahh, that is where you got your forum name from

arkoma - 23-5-2014 at 08:15

Got ya beat, hissingnoise! My friends and I at 15 (I was the idiot that actually lit the thing). Empty CO2 cartridge with about 30 grains of Hercules Bullseye powder in it and green cannon fuse ordered from the Zeller dude in Wickenburg, AZ (was ALWAYS an ad for it in PopSci back then) We were "kewls" wayyy before the internet!

Zyklon-A - 23-5-2014 at 08:38

Quote: Originally posted by hissingnoise

Ha! I was that 15 year old, striking an arc of 2kV not two mouths ago... Difference of course being that I came out uninjured.

Quote: Originally posted by DrAldehyde

Ahh, that is where you got your forum name from

Nope. I think he got his name here:http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=250#pi...

[Edited on 23-5-2014 by Zyklonb]

Metacelsus - 23-5-2014 at 09:30

Some time ago (when I was 16), I got a very small (0.1 cm²) plasma burn from a flyback. Strangely, I didn't immediately notice I was getting burned; it was totally painless, and just felt like an itch. However, it was a few ma at most (albeit at around 30 kV). My NST, on the other hand, would probably be excruciating (15 kV, 60 ma).

Scr0t - 23-5-2014 at 14:46

Maybe these are the results of a parasitic infection like toxoplasma gondii causing increased risk-taking behavior.

smaerd - 23-5-2014 at 17:00

Jeese, I've done some dumb stuff. Licking sulfuric acid that spilled on my hands, or touching live wall current though. That's truly special hahaha. Speaking of nickel salts and doing something dumb...I wish I had some dumb stories to add but I never really had the urge to drink chemicals I didn't know the dangers of, or have life threatening current flowing through my body. If I see a plume of unexpected acid fumes I reach for a safety measure, and don't run reactions I haven't at least thought through. Guess I'm kind of, bland.

elementcollector1 - 23-5-2014 at 17:05

Got dichromate literally all over my hands, flooded the garage with chlorine, my entire current project with arsenic... To name a few things.

Brain&Force - 24-5-2014 at 09:29

You know, simply dissolving manganese metal in hydrochloric acid will also generate chlorine. I'm such a prude in the lab - the worst I've ever done is spill a few drops of 6M hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide on myself. I didn't even get a scratch.

But then again, I don't have too much access to chemicals.

Zyklon-A - 24-5-2014 at 10:11

I've filled the lab with so much chlorine. I hate working outside, and I don't have a fume hood, I always where a gas mask, but for anyone who walks in while I'm working, must be terrible. I've spilled con. Sulfuric, hydrochloric, nitric (fuming

), and plenty other acids on my self, the floor, the table, other chemicals ect.
Not to mention all sorts of accidents with fire, electricity, toxic fumes, carcinogenic solids, toxic waist, high explosives, ect.
But one thing I can say is, with every mistake I've made, I've learned something, and I have almost never made the same mistake twice.
In general, chemists (and all scientists) tend to live much more dangerous and exciting lives. Girls find my "adventures" attractive as well, so it's a win-win. Until I really badly hurt myself or someone else - hopefully never.

numos - 24-5-2014 at 11:34

A couple weeks ago I was preparing some Manganese chloride by adding HCl unto Manganese dioxide using an addition funnel, I was doing this outside and had a powerful fan going to disperse the Cl produced. I picked up the flask I was doing it in to give it a swirl when my arm hit the exposed fan blades. I recoiled immediately (more from surprise than pain) and the sudden jerk sent half the mixture flying into the air. I was wearing a lab coat so that took the brunt of it but a sizable amount splashed on both arms. Thankfully the acid had been reacted to a point where it was no longer corrosive.

I was still able to get a sizable amount of Manganese chloride in the end and no glassware was injured.

alexleyenda - 24-5-2014 at 12:05

"In general, chemists (and all scientists) tend to live much more dangerous and exciting lives. " True words ! Especially those who, like me, are amazed like little children when something unusual happens (and it happens a lot when you're in science :p ). Just 4 weeks ago, I was preparing salicylic acid from methyl salicylate I extracted from a plant in my school's lab. At one point, you mix the methyl salicylate with a NaOH solution, and both transparent liquids immediately form a solid out of nowhere when they come in contact, then it all dissolves in a volume of liquid far smaller than the volume of solid you had. It is quite banal, yet unusual and I was amazed and thought it was sad my partner didn't care at all ^^

To go back to the subject, I am quite careful when I experiment with dangerous compounds and i've never really been in danger despite manipulating conc H2SO4, strong bases, chlorine, manganese heptoxide... When it is dangerous, I do it outside and make sure i'll be safe. There's one time however when I made a really bad move and almost spilled Molten Sodium Hydroxide on my leg. Had I reacted 0,5 seconds later my life could have been changed forever. It has been a stressful day :p

arkoma - 24-5-2014 at 13:30

Quote: Originally posted by alexleyenda

"In general, chemists (and all scientists) tend to live much more dangerous and exciting lives. " True words ! Especially those who, like me, are amazed like little children when something unusual happens (and it happens a lot when you're in science :p )

Sometimes I try to imagine the emotions that folks like Galileo, Faraday, and Madame Curie must have experienced. The ability to "wonder" is one of (if he/she exists) God's greatest gifts.

alexleyenda - 24-5-2014 at 15:03

Yup. Good stories always start in one of two ways. The first way is "I was drunk" and the second one is "I was wondering... " :p By the way, I remembered a stupid move. The first time I extracted Iodine from the solutions they sell in pharmacy. After the extraction, my glassware was still full of cristals and I started washing it... with hot water. "Why is the sink becoming purple... oh wait, it's a purple cloud... F...

[Edited on 24-5-2014 by alexleyenda]

Zyklon-A - 24-5-2014 at 15:29

How did you extract iodine from an alcohol solution?
I just buy iodine...

alexleyenda - 24-5-2014 at 15:58

You just have to use hydrogen peroxide with H2SO4 and it precipitates. I heard it works with a base too.

smaerd - 24-5-2014 at 19:48

For me, science isn't about being a fool for the sake of being a fool. It's admitting I am a fool because to exist is to be inherently ignorant. Don't need to take a bath in dimethyl mercury to be 'exciting'. I just think there's a special breed of scientists on here that love the adrenaline rush associated with very hazardous projects hehehe. I'm not the first guy to run and prepare diazomethane for the sake of doing it. Then again, I'm also not the person who wears gloves, goggles, and respirators, when pouring acids/bases. Used to test if a solution was alkaline by slippery feel. Granted I wouldn't do like peach did and poor pirhana solution on my hands and wait several minutes to notate the effects (miss that guy).

you guys are really scaring me

quantumchromodynamics - 25-5-2014 at 05:16

You all need to be more respectful of electricity. It is quite possible to burn out the nerve with a high voltage and high frequency current, and then it feels just like a small itch, even though you have permanent damage. An NST is one thing. A flyback at 20khz is one thing. Lethal things, but in the big picture, not too bad. A pole pig will kill you dead before you look at it funny. A laser power supply, or a radar deflection coil, are just evil and unpredictable. There are no second chances with high voltage and high frequency. It is not funny at all. I have seen a training video of a person who got sucked into a high voltage control panel in a flash plasma fire due to a localized air ionization. The fans cut out for a short time. That was only 440VAC, but the currents were 1000's of amps at a relay station. There was no body even left after an explosion and vapors. Not a joke to forget about running a 15kv NST. If you forgot about that, you should not be handling one, or anything else. Period. :mad:

alexleyenda - 26-6-2014 at 19:27

I am reading the Vogel because I really hit a wall in theory atm and I need to learn more... I read "Under
no circumstances should [boiling chips] be dropped into a liquid which
has already been heated to boiling : the sudden evolution of vapour
may result in spray and sometimes of a large proportion of the liquid
being ejected from the mouth of the flask". I laughed when i read that because I already learned that the hard way a month and a half ago when I dropped boiling chips into boiling sulfuric acid and a geyser of sulfuric acid jumped 2 meters in the air. Fortunately I backed really fast and was doing this outside, so no harm was done. Just thought i'd share this thought :p

arkoma - 26-6-2014 at 19:45

Yup--ever microwaved water for a couple minutes on high and dumped in a spoon of instant coffee? My big brother had a print copy of Vogel's 3d back in the early 80's that he found at a rare book store in Portland, Oregon. Some jackass tweaker stole it from him.

alexleyenda - 26-6-2014 at 19:50

Quote: Originally posted by arkoma

Yup--ever microwaved water for a couple minutes on high and dumped in a spoon of instant coffee? My big brother had a print copy of Vogel's 3d back in the early 80's that he found at a rare book store in Portland, Oregon. Some jackass tweaker stole it from him.

Haha nope, I never did it but now I want to :p

arkoma - 26-6-2014 at 21:17

shit boils over INSTANTLY. superheating.

edit--adding link superheated water

[Edited on 6-27-2014 by arkoma]

Texium - 27-6-2014 at 07:59

The other day, I was heating tetrachlorocupric acid in an RBF using a bunsen burner, and at one point it bumped and sent boiling acid three feet into the air and all over my workspace. Some of it hit me, but I was wearing rubber gloves, an apron, and safety goggles since I knew that was a possibility, so I didn't actually get any on my skin.

[Edited on 6-27-2014 by zts16]

arkoma - 27-6-2014 at 08:06

bumping is something I'm learning about RAPIDLY. Just got my first distillation set

alexleyenda - 27-6-2014 at 08:19

that was about time lol. if you want a great tip from me, really take your time with it so secure your pieces with clips and clamps, even before you start the reaction. If you're too impatient like I was at first you're gonna have to re-order many pieces :p It breaks so freaking fast when it falls on the ground and the stability is so bad when it is not holded by a clamp, just a little push and it all falls.

arkoma - 27-6-2014 at 08:41

keck clamps, DUCT TAPE, and shoelaces are my friends. Have no lab stand yet but this wall mounted light is handy to tie shit to!!

reflux rig.jpg - 6kB

Brain&Force - 27-6-2014 at 09:10

How to make a volcano in your lab (a total accident on my part):

Put some methanol in an erlenmeyer flask
Boil the methanol
For added fun, dissolve some iodine in the methanol!

arkoma - 27-6-2014 at 09:15

scariest thing about methanol is the flames are practically invisible. Had friends hospitalized because of burning MeOH.

Brain&Force - 27-6-2014 at 09:29

Strangely, the methanol didn't ignite, but it did erupt everywhere. The fact that there was dissolved iodine turned the fume hood into a total mess.