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DoctorOfPhilosophy
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Quote: Originally posted by morganbw  | | I do not think that a normal school lab (including grad school) would have this. I suspect it would only be in a research lab doing work with metal
poisonings or possibly as a standard (CDC level) to test against such. |
Well disturbingly anyone with access to ebay could have the topic compound in a few short days.
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Dan Vizine
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The story lost ALL credibility the moment he said "I had asked for some mercury but he didn't know what this was"....riiight.
"All Your Children Are Poor Unfortunate Victims of Lies You Believe, a Plague Upon Your Ignorance that Keeps the Youth from the Truth They
Deserve"...F. Zappa
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Mr. Rogers
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It's sketchy to say the least.
Someone who has unsupervised access to a (presumably) university chemical store would be someone with knowledge of the appearance of elemental
mercury.
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j_sum1
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| Quote: Originally posted by Mr. Rogers | It's sketchy to say the least.
Someone who has unsupervised access to a (presumably) university chemical store would be someone with knowledge of the appearance of elemental
mercury. |
Oh. No doubt it is sketchy. I am not buying the story in its entirity for even a moment. But if the bit related to organomercury is true, then it
is a serious situation that can only end badly. If he keeps an ampoule -- it may be years down the track, but eventually someone will have to do
something with it. It may or may not still have a legible label and even if it does, it may or may not be recognised by whoever discovers it. It
either gets spilled with probable dire consequences or else it is whatever future version of the hazmat squad gets called in. There aren't any real
ways this can end prettily.
Trolling is indeed a posibility and maybe even likely. But I have seen enough dumb stuff that I would not be absolutely certain that it is trolling.
Anyway, by now, if the story is in any true, the OP is off on holiday with a little vial of deadly toxin sitting next to the peanut butter. He is not
listening. There is a chance we will find out more details in the news. Eventually.
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Mr. Rogers
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| Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1 | | Quote: Originally posted by Mr. Rogers | It's sketchy to say the least.
Someone who has unsupervised access to a (presumably) university chemical store would be someone with knowledge of the appearance of elemental
mercury. |
Oh. No doubt it is sketchy. I am not buying the story in its entirity for even a moment. But if the bit related to organomercury is true, then it
is a serious situation that can only end badly. If he keeps an ampoule -- it may be years down the track, but eventually someone will have to do
something with it. It may or may not still have a legible label and even if it does, it may or may not be recognised by whoever discovers it. It
either gets spilled with probable dire consequences or else it is whatever future version of the hazmat squad gets called in. There aren't any real
ways this can end prettily.
Trolling is indeed a posibility and maybe even likely. But I have seen enough dumb stuff that I would not be absolutely certain that it is trolling.
Anyway, by now, if the story is in any true, the OP is off on holiday with a little vial of deadly toxin sitting next to the peanut butter. He is not
listening. There is a chance we will find out more details in the news. Eventually. |
I agree. If this is real, the only sane thing to do is call the fire department and explain the whole situation honestly.
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fusso
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Is there anyways to destroy Me2Hg?
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TheMrbunGee
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Wiki:
The compound reacts with mercuric chloride to give the mixed chloro-methyl compound:
(CH3)2Hg + HgCl2 → 2 CH3HgCl
Whereas dimethylmercury is a volatile liquid, CH3HgCl is a crystalline solid.
this way it would be "safer", but doing anything with it would not be safe..
not sure, maybe replacement reaction could be done, with some more active metal, like zinc.
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Morgan
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Tidbits
42.2.1 Organic Mercury Poisoning
The earliest known deaths attributed to exposure to organic mercury, involving dimethyl mercury, occurred at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in
Smithfield, London in the course of research on the valency of metals and metallic compounds. Details of the research that led to the lethal
exposures were reported by Frankland and Duppa(1863); yet, inexplicably, their publication made no mention of the poisoning and deaths of two
technicians involved in the research. The two technicians were apparently directly exposed to dimethyl Hg for periods of 3 months and 2 weeks,
respectively. According to hospital reports, both men exhibited symptoms associated with ataxia and died 2 weeks and 12 months, respectively, after
the onset of symptoms. Clinical details were reported in two internal hospital reports (Edwards1865, 1866), which include the statement, “That the
symptoms were due to the inhalation of [mercuric methide] is rendered almost certain.” However, circulation of these reports was limited; Hunter et
al. (1940) commented that “The story of these deaths has been handed down verbally from one generation of chemists to another."
http://www.academia.edu/29085604/Mercury_in_Fish_History_Sou...
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fusso
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Seriously, why is this troll thread still here?
[Edited on 181215 by fusso]
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j_sum1
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1. We don't know for sure that it is a troll. Definitely stupid. Definitely baiting. But we have no idea how much if any of the story is true. Members
are responding well so this is ok.
2. We don't often get to discuss such hazardpus compounds. It is good to be aware of the properties of these kinds of things even if we are unlikely
to encounter them. The same as we might discuss ClF3, Pu or some ultra high energy explosives. I don't know how organic mercury might be
neutralised. I could hazard a guess, but it would indeed be a hazard if posted. OTOH, it is likely someone knows and can share. I would be
knowledgeable for it.
The thread can stay. At least for now.
Maybe the OP will even grow a brain cell while on holiday and revisit.
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AJKOER
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I believe the sincerity of the author of this thread. It has the incoherent trait of a true story, and ends no less with "Happy holidays and many
thanks in advance!!".
In context, I would hazard a guess that at least nine out of the ten people I know have no clue of what Methyl Mercury is! A symptom of a country of
awash in scientific ignorance!! So why is it surprising that there's someone totally clueless with access to chemical supplies at a university we're
the only supplies they probably lock up are at the sports department, a big revenue generator for the school?
I also suspect that Methyl Mercury is one of those chemicals that is not easy to breakdown without creating more of a highly toxic problem, so you
cannot cheaply get rid of it, and so it sits on a shelf where it really does not belong, allowing someone to remove it and ask a friend to help deal
with it.
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Vomaturge
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Well, I'd assume molecules of dimethyl mercury can be easily made into a variety of less dangerous (albeit not harmless) compounds. Even the wiki
page implies that in numerous places. I'd suspect the real issue is making sure there is no unreacted residue left. You can run a reaction which
neutralizes most of a sample, but maybe 1% of it might not mix with the neutralizing reagent, or it might all be mixed evenly, but a tiny bit might
not get enough activation energy. Now, the waste products will have enough dimethyl mercury left over to be deadly.
That's why I'd rather it stay in its ampoule (assuming the story is true) than be opened for some wreckless procedure that will leave lethal traces
all over the place.
I definitely see your point, on why even big research facilities would rather store it than try and neutralize it.
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DoctorOfPhilosophy
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| Quote: Originally posted by AJKOER |
I also suspect that Methyl Mercury is one of those chemicals that is not easy to breakdown without creating more of a highly toxic problem, so you
cannot cheaply get rid of it, and so it sits on a shelf where it really does not belong, allowing someone to remove it and ask a friend to help deal
with it. |
I don't think it is that difficult to dispose of dimethylmercury through a chemical disposal company. They're just going to run it through an
incinerator with other inflammable wastes. In fact, that's what the datasheet from Sigma seems to suggest too:
| Quote: | | Burn in a chemical incinerator equipped with an afterburner and scrubber but exert extra care in igniting as this material is highly flammable. Offer
surplus and non-recyclable solutions to a licensed disposal company. Contact a licensed professional waste disposal service to dispose of this
material. |
If by some chance, I had a sealed ampule of this substance at home that did not pose an imminent threat of leaking or breaking, I would call a
licensed disposal company and that would be the end of it.
And yes, they pick up from individuals (albeit somewhat reluctantly).
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Tsjerk
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| Quote: Originally posted by DoctorOfPhilosophy |
| Quote: | | as this material is highly flammable. Offer surplus and non-recyclable solutions to a licensed disposal company. Contact a licensed professional
waste disposal service to dispose of this material. |
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Oh lovely, the stuff is also flammable, imaging having a dimethyl mercury sample burning somewhere, Ok in an incinerator, not so ok in a lab.
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Morgan
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Tests on wildlife ...
"During the same period, top predators of the fish-based food chain in the Florida Everglades also had high tissue Hg levels. Alligators (Alligator
mississippiensis) collected on a transect through the Florida Everglades in 1999 were reported by Rumbold et al. (2002) with Hg T mean concentrations
(n¼ 28) in liver and tail muscle of 10.4 and 1.2 ppm w/w, respectively. A single Florida panther (Pumaconcolor cori), a critically endangered
species in Florida, was found dead in the southern Everglades region with the highest Hg concentration ever reported of 110 ppm w/w in the liver; Hg
toxicosis was strongly implicated in its death (Roelkeet al. 1991). Other free-ranging panthers in the same region had mean hair, liver,and muscle
concentrations of 56.4, 40.6 and 4.4 ppm Hg T w/w, respectively. Roelkeet al. concluded that Hg T
in panther hair greater than 57.3 ppm fresh weight would indicate toxicosis, and identified an “at risk” threshold value for Hg T in panther hair
as greater than 12.57 ppm. All of these panthers were known to be feeding on Hg-contaminated raccoons (Procyon lotor). Raccoons are opportunistic
omnivores, but eat largely insects and crustaceans and some fish outside berry season, which peaks in January in the Everglades region. As is the
case in fish, Hg in insects is essentially all MeHg (Mason et al. 2000). Roelke et al. (1991) reported a meanvalue of 1.8 1.24 ppm Hg in raccoon
muscle tissue in the central Everglade, ..."
http://www.academia.edu/29085604/Mercury_in_Fish_History_Sou...
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AJKOER
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Actually, if you think placing it in an incinerator is a good solution, first radioactively tag the Methyl Mercury. Then, after it is placed into the
atmosphere, falls largely into the oceans, finds it way into the food chain, and your fish is caught, which you bring home and test, and than perhaps
one day you can shout, 'I found you again!'
Just a brilliant idea , and please don't eat the fish!
By the way, most of the Hg placed into the oceans is the result of burning coal.
[Edited on 15-12-2018 by AJKOER]
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nora_summers
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Fine. the thread is real.
Please upload a photo of the dimethyl mercury ampule so we can see what condition its in and let you know if there is any immediate danger of
leakage/breaking.
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Schleimsäure
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Calm down. It will not cunningly creep out of an ampule and try to kill you. Just don't break the ampules and everything will be fine.
You don't have to call a hazmat team, as some suggested here. Ridiculous. Be very careful with it, I would not want to work with it either. Give it
back to the university or store it safely. If it is ampuled I don't think it is necessary to store it in the cold. Put a big fat poison skull on the
ampules.
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Ubya
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| Quote: Originally posted by AJKOER | Actually, if you think placing it in an incinerator is a good solution, first radioactively tag the Methyl Mercury. Then, after it is placed into the
atmosphere, falls largely into the oceans, finds it way into the food chain, and your fish is caught, which you bring home and test, and than perhaps
one day you can shout, 'I found you again!'
Just a brilliant idea , and please don't eat the fish!
By the way, most of the Hg placed into the oceans is the result of burning coal.
[Edited on 15-12-2018 by AJKOER] |
who doesn't radio tag dimethyl mercury in his free time? we all do it right?
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feel free to correct my grammar, or any mistakes i make
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MrHomeScientist
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| Quote: Originally posted by AJKOER | | In context, I would hazard a guess that at least nine out of the ten people I know have no clue of what Methyl Mercury is!
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You only know ten people? I guess that doesn't really surprise me.
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symboom
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To bad there is no way to convert it to Mercury metal even that process would be dangerous .
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DraconicAcid
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Radiotagging mercury isn't something one does with a prepared sample, but he does have a point- burning it puts that mercury in the atmosphere.
Nasty, nasty.
Please remember: "Filtrate" is not a verb.
Write up your lab reports the way your instructor wants them, not the way your ex-instructor wants them.
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fusso
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| Quote: Originally posted by AJKOER | By the way, most of the Hg placed into the oceans is the result of burning coal.
[Edited on 15-12-2018 by AJKOER] |
How Hg manages to contaminate the coals?
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DavidJR
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It's naturally present in coal, along with lots of other nasties.
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Morgan
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I recall reading the bay where I live in Florida, the level of mercury goes up in the summer due to more rainfall.
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