guy - 3-9-2006 at 16:40
Yeah so pretty much my house smells like acetamide because I accidently put ammonium sulfate and hypochlorite and ethyl acetate togehter. I was
actually trying to salt out the mixture but forgot about which salt I used.
So what is the best way to get rid of this smell, other than open all windows?
[Edited on 9/4/2006 by guy]
Elawr - 3-9-2006 at 17:50
Bummer! Are you okay? I certainly hope no one was injured. Please elaborate about what happened - was there an explosion? a deflagration? From your
post I'm assuming you were working with the ester in some form of solution together with the hypochlorite and then added the (NH3)2SO4. I'm unclear on
exactly what you were trying to salt out of what, or what you were trying to make to begin with. The important thing is that you are OK. As far as
clean up is concerned, and assuming acetamide is in fact the product of your unfortunate fulminating misadventure, l'd advise openig the windows and
using plenty of soap and H2O. From what I've read, acetamide is not insanely toxic and has physical properties that should render it amenable to
ordinary household cleaning armamentarium. In other words: washrags, soap+H2O, mop and broom, etc.
[Edited on 4-9-2006 by Elawr]
guy - 3-9-2006 at 21:41
I was trying to separate the ethyl acetate from the solution using ammonium sulfate (I forgot about the reaction with hypochlorite). So it started
bubbling very vigorously and I removed the stopper and it gushed out and it smelled bad. Other than the smell nothing serious.
unionised - 6-9-2006 at 11:30
IIRC acetamide doesn't smell; the impurities in it do.
Still, the best I can offer is soap and water; perhaps bleach on some items.
garage chemist - 6-9-2006 at 11:58
I don't think this is acetamide. Acetamide as prepared from ammonia and ethyl acetate is odorless. I have done this before.
I think it just is chloramine/NCl3/(chloorinated)acetaldehyde. All those are very smelly.
A reducing agent like sodium metabisulfite should get rid of the smell.