I just bought a bottle of a barbeque charcoal lighter fluid that I know is pretty clean petroleum ether, funny thing though, there was a sort of stale
urine smell to it that seeped even through my gas mask, I can pin it down prescisely, it was the exact same musty stale piss smell that you get in
mouse cages, or the dwelling of other small rodents.
Has anyone ever found pet. ether with that sort of a smell to it? or any idea of whats causing it?vulture - 12-5-2005 at 11:25
Does it go away if you extract the petroleum ether with Na2CO3 solution (for example)?Mr. Wizard - 12-5-2005 at 11:31
Where do you store your gas mask? Maybe it's already been contaminated?
Do you notice the smell when not wearing it? I would suspect the quality of BBQ lighter solvent to be just above kerosene, minus some sulfur
compounds. BTW some illegal drug precursors are reputed to smell like stale mouse piss. This is a classic description the cops use to describe a
Meth lab. I always thought petroleum ether was like lighter fluid not like the higher boiling point BBQ lighter fluid and paint thinner. BTW I use
paint thinner or Stoddard solvent ( automotive parts solvent) to light my BBQ fires. They all have a flash point of over 100F and I can't tell
them apart. It won't be the first or the last time I've been mistaken about something Reverend Necroticus Rex - 13-5-2005 at 15:52
I am just using the BBQ fuel as a nonpolar solvent for an acid/base alkaloid extraction, it is doing the trick fine, but for some reason, stinks of
stale piss, it just happens to be one of the very few clean OTC nonpolar solvents right about my locale, apart from toluene, which for some reason,
costs almost £45 PER CAN
Vulture, at the moment, I don't actually have any Na2CO3, so I cannot try your suggestion, it isnt a chemical I often use, so I don't happen
to have any to hand.
Mr.Wizard, I believe it is phenylacetic acid that reeks of cat piss, that is used in meth labs, and I store my mask in a cupboard with the rest of my
chemicals and various bits and pieces of ammunition, I know it isn't the mask, I can smell stale rodent-cage all around the room the naptha evaps
in, even without my mask on.12AX7 - 13-5-2005 at 19:11
Got any baking soda? Boil a solution for a few hours. Then add some lye to claim the rest of the CO2 that didn't boil out.
Or not bother, depending on how suitable bicarb is alone... usually just makes extra gas.
TimUpNatom - 15-5-2005 at 10:33
Quote:
it just happens to be one of the very few clean OTC nonpolar solvents right about my locale, apart from toluene, which for some reason, costs almost
£45 PER CAN
That's probably because your local motor factor has sussed that petrol-heads use this to raise their fuel octane rating and has upped the price
according to the demand.
Phenylacetic acid is the mousey smelling precursor....but I seriously doubt its that.
Oh and when dilute it (PAA) smells of guess what?.......
Maybe it's already been contaminated?
