Sciencemadness Discussion Board
Not logged in [Login ]
Go To Bottom

Printable Version  
 Pages:  1    3
Author: Subject: Chemist's Nightmare
Fantasma4500
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1681
Registered: 12-12-2012
Location: Dysrope (aka europe)
Member Is Offline

Mood: dangerously practical

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 08:48
Chemist's Nightmare


List up a few scenarios or actual stories you have heard or even experienced about chemistry, as in bad cases.

2 things i wouldnt be happy about as a start

spilling a large bottle of superfine MnO2 powder

having the bottom of a glass H2SO4 98% container dropping out, out of nowhere.




~25 drops = 1mL @dH2O viscocity - STP
Truth is ever growing - but without context theres barely any such.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solubility_table
http://www.trimen.pl/witek/calculators/stezenia.html
View user's profile View All Posts By User
bfesser
Resident Wikipedian
*****




Posts: 2114
Registered: 29-1-2008
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 09:01


<strong><a href="viewthread.php?tid=24908">Bad days in the lab or with glassware?</a></strong>



View user's profile View All Posts By User
DraconicAcid
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 4332
Registered: 1-2-2013
Location: The tiniest college campus ever....
Member Is Offline

Mood: Semi-victorious.

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 09:18


The only chemistry-related nightmare I've had was the one where I was about to do my candidacy exam (at my university, there were three big exams in your PhD work- the 502 seminar, the candidacy exam, and the thesis defense, and many people considered the candidacy exam the hardest). The chief examiner was sitting in the audience wearing a long blonde wig (not very fitting for the masculine Hungarian that he was), and I started to talk about justice for the third world. Even in my dream, I knew that this was the wrong way to introduce the topic of organorhodium phosphine complexes.

I do still occasionally have bad dreams in which I realize I haven't done any research towards my thesis in years, and my supervisor's gonna kill me. It usually takes me a few minutes after I've woken up to remember that my thesis was finished and defended many years ago, and I no longer need to any research towards it.




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.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Random
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1120
Registered: 7-5-2010
Location: In ur closet
Member Is Offline

Mood: Energetic

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 10:32


Is manganese dioxide really so bad? I frequently had it on my fingers when I experimented, I hope I don't have manganism because I noticed some symptoms lately
View user's profile View All Posts By User
elementcollector1
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 2684
Registered: 28-12-2011
Location: The Known Universe
Member Is Offline

Mood: Molten

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 10:35


I thought manganism was only by ingestion.



Elements Collected:52/87
Latest Acquired: Cl
Next in Line: Nd
View user's profile View All Posts By User
mayko
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1218
Registered: 17-1-2013
Location: Carrboro, NC
Member Is Offline

Mood: anomalous (Euclid class)

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 10:35


Quote: Originally posted by Antiswat  


having the bottom of a glass H2SO4 98% container dropping out, out of nowhere.


This happened to my dad in grad school. He was hefting a jug into the hood, tinked the bottom against the edge, and it all dropped out. He jumped into the hood before it hit the floor.




al-khemie is not a terrorist organization
"Chemicals, chemicals... I need chemicals!" - George Hayduke
"Wubbalubba dub-dub!" - Rick Sanchez
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
Galinstan
Hazard to Self
**




Posts: 53
Registered: 22-11-2013
Location: England
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 12:08


The worst chemistry related insedent iv had happen was when i was refluxing a mixture of KMNo4 solution with some organic upper phase ( i can't remember what it was any-more) and the flask broke and spilled the contents in to the oil bath which on contact with the contents instantly began to boil and spray hot oil and KMNO4 solution every were it took ours to clean up and luckily no one was injured.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Pyro
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1305
Registered: 6-4-2012
Location: Gent, Belgium
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 12:21


Having the bottom of my big bottle of Br2 fall off



all above information is intellectual property of Pyro. :D
View user's profile View All Posts By User
bismuthate
National Hazard
****




Posts: 803
Registered: 28-9-2013
Location: the island of stability
Member Is Offline

Mood: self reacting

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 12:41


F2 need I say more?



I'm not a liar, I'm just an enthusiastic celebrant of opposite day.
I post pictures of chemistry on instagram as bismuthate. http://iconosquare.com/bismuthate
or this viewer if you don't have an instagram (it sucks though) http://web.stagram.com/n/bismuthate
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
hyfalcon
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1003
Registered: 29-3-2012
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 12:54


Mercury spill in the bedroom.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Pyro
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1305
Registered: 6-4-2012
Location: Gent, Belgium
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 13:05


hehe, you shouldn't even have Hg in the bedroom



all above information is intellectual property of Pyro. :D
View user's profile View All Posts By User
elementcollector1
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 2684
Registered: 28-12-2011
Location: The Known Universe
Member Is Offline

Mood: Molten

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 13:19


Quote: Originally posted by Pyro  
hehe, you shouldn't even have Hg in the bedroom


Well, where else am I to keep my hat-making machinery?

On a more on-topic note, how about when my camp burner exploded while bromine was distilling right on top of it?




Elements Collected:52/87
Latest Acquired: Cl
Next in Line: Nd
View user's profile View All Posts By User
bfesser
Resident Wikipedian
*****




Posts: 2114
Registered: 29-1-2008
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 13:37


Quote: Originally posted by hyfalcon  
Mercury spill in the bedroom.
Been there; done that.



View user's profile View All Posts By User
phlogiston
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1379
Registered: 26-4-2008
Location: Neon Thorium Erbium Lanthanum Neodymium Sulphur
Member Is Offline

Mood: pyrophoric

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 14:11


A large beaker in which I was dissolving lead metal in boiling nitric acid broke, spilling 2 liters of hot, corrosive, toxic saturated lead nitrate solution. Fortunately, most of it was contained by preventive measures, but I still couldn't rest before cleaning the fumehood/nearby lab space meticulously several times over to assure there were no small drops/particles remaining.

[Edited on 12-12-2013 by phlogiston]




-----
"If a rocket goes up, who cares where it comes down, that's not my concern said Wernher von Braun" - Tom Lehrer
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Fenir
Hazard to Self
**




Posts: 68
Registered: 7-5-2013
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 12-12-2013 at 16:11


I once saw an individual try to heat a buret with a bunsen burner. By the time I warned him the buret had already cracked.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Jmap science
Yet another ID of SimpleChemist-238
*




Posts: 40
Registered: 19-10-2013
Location: Florida
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 13-12-2013 at 05:54


I had a small lab fire and destroid part of my desk. still cleaning up, My friend spilled a bottle of KMnO4 on carpet.

I had a hand in a thermite reaction once. Im all better but I still remember...
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
dontasker
Harmless
*




Posts: 40
Registered: 19-12-2012
Member Is Offline

Mood: Plopping

[*] posted on 13-12-2013 at 10:53


Not really what I would consider as "cemistry", but I had the bottom of a 5 gallon carboy of young wine give out. Red wine. House smelled great, but ruined carpet in a nearby room and did a number on the drywall.

Other than that, H2SO4 burns and dropping a large box of glassware.

[Edited on 14-12-2013 by dontasker]
View user's profile View All Posts By User
DraconicAcid
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 4332
Registered: 1-2-2013
Location: The tiniest college campus ever....
Member Is Offline

Mood: Semi-victorious.

[*] posted on 13-12-2013 at 11:50


Quote: Originally posted by dontasker  
Not really what I would consider as "cemistry", but I had the bottom of a 5 gallon cardboy of young wine give out. Red wine. House smelled great, but ruined carpet in a nearby room and did a number on the drywall.


My mother had a bottle explode while she was out of town...it broke a huge chunk out of one of her full carboys.




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.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
subsecret
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 424
Registered: 8-6-2013
Location: NW SC, USA
Member Is Offline

Mood: Human Sadness - Julian Casablancas & the Voidz

[*] posted on 14-12-2013 at 09:09


I had a CO2 generator spray HCl all over the lab. Luckily I stepped aside quickly enough to avoid the shower. The good thing about HCl is that it doesn't leave residue.



Fear is what you get when caution wasn't enough.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
BlackDragon2712
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 124
Registered: 22-12-2012
Location: Everywhere
Member Is Offline

Mood: Sleepy

[*] posted on 14-12-2013 at 10:23


Quote: Originally posted by hyfalcon  
Mercury spill in the bedroom.

hahahaha I know that feel bro!




View user's profile View All Posts By User
Fantasma4500
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1681
Registered: 12-12-2012
Location: Dysrope (aka europe)
Member Is Offline

Mood: dangerously practical

[*] posted on 14-12-2013 at 13:53


interesting as you can never find what you need when you need it..
came across video of some french scientists of some kind, where they pour some weird fluoride compound onto gloves and all
the video is of some corny quality, when they pour it on the glove i recall it as being a very loud bang
didnt expect anybody to having heard of a person experiencing the H2SO4 thing.. very lucky ..

speaking of H2SO4.. i know a guy who has around 4L 65% H2O2 standing in his garage in a glass jar right next to 165% H2SO4 / 65% oleum, also a 4L jar, not sure how much is in there
if i just mention piranha mix, do i need to add anything else to get you guys imagining the same things i do??
he worked at a factory where they used it - it closed down - he was a really good worked - 'take what you want' and he did..




~25 drops = 1mL @dH2O viscocity - STP
Truth is ever growing - but without context theres barely any such.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solubility_table
http://www.trimen.pl/witek/calculators/stezenia.html
View user's profile View All Posts By User
TheChemiKid
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 493
Registered: 5-8-2013
Location: ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿'̿'̵͇̿̿з=༼ ▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ̿ ༽
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 14-12-2013 at 14:11


Quote: Originally posted by Pyro  
Having the bottom of my big bottle of Br2 fall off

This happened to me once, it was terrible. Luckily it was on a concrete floor.




When the police come


\( * O * )/ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿'̿'̵͇̿̿з=༼ ▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ̿ ༽
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Pyro
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1305
Registered: 6-4-2012
Location: Gent, Belgium
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 14-12-2013 at 14:12


how big was the bottle?



all above information is intellectual property of Pyro. :D
View user's profile View All Posts By User
TheChemiKid
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 493
Registered: 5-8-2013
Location: ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿'̿'̵͇̿̿з=༼ ▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ̿ ༽
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 14-12-2013 at 14:33


It was a 125 mL bottle. There was about 50mL of bromine. It was a huge cleanup. Luckily I had 5 pounds of sodium thiosulfate on hand.



When the police come


\( * O * )/ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿'̿'̵͇̿̿з=༼ ▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ̿ ༽
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Pyro
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1305
Registered: 6-4-2012
Location: Gent, Belgium
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 14-12-2013 at 16:48


well consider yourself lucky! I was referring to my 500ml bottle (450ml Br2)



all above information is intellectual property of Pyro. :D
View user's profile View All Posts By User
 Pages:  1    3

  Go To Top