Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Storing Pyrotechnic Chemicals

azomage - 11-11-2024 at 15:12

Hi all, I just wanted multiple sets of eyes on my safety plan regarding the various pyrotechnic chemicals I will be storing.

So my plan is to store dry chemicals in plastic canisters from Walmart with 2-3 silica gel packets sitting among the powder (or should they be taped to the lid?).

These canisters will be labeled with various chemical safety stickers (e.g. NFPA, GHS).

In turn, these canisters will be stored in heavy-duty plastic totes with padlocks on them.

Here's how I plan to separate the chemicals by class:

Oxidizers - these will be stored in its own tote far away from all other totes/cabinets

Metal Powders - these will be stored in its own tote

Dry Fuels & Binders - these will be stored in its own tote

Solvents - these will be stored in a metal cabinet

Some things I'm unsure where to put:

Does this seem like a responsible way to store things? Nearly all quantities are sub-kilogram.

[Edited on 11-11-2024 by azomage]

Sir_Gawain - 11-11-2024 at 15:45

Yeah, that looks good.
Bismuth trioxide and copper oxide I would put with the oxidizers.
Sodium hydroxide is extremely hygroscopic and will dissolve some plastics. I would recommend storing it in a sealed hdpe or glass container without any desiccant.
Boric acid is not very reactive with anything, so it can go anywhere.

azomage - 11-11-2024 at 15:54

Thanks Sir Gawain!

bnull - 11-11-2024 at 16:12

Store isopropyl alcohol away from the other fuels: it can form peroxides and, in case of mishap, it may take the other fuels with it.

The rest looks quite good. You may be interested in putting the oxidisers on the other side of the room, opposite to the fuels and metal powders to minimize risks; make sure there are no light switches close to the fuels. Print some copies of the Safety Datasheets for the case that something bad happens and someone else needs to enter the place.

azomage - 11-11-2024 at 19:08

Thanks, bnull, for the heads up about peroxidation of IPA!

Deathunter88 - 11-11-2024 at 23:33

Quote: Originally posted by bnull  
Store isopropyl alcohol away from the other fuels: it can form peroxides and, in case of mishap, it may take the other fuels with it.

The rest looks quite good. You may be interested in putting the oxidisers on the other side of the room, opposite to the fuels and metal powders to minimize risks; make sure there are no light switches close to the fuels. Print some copies of the Safety Datasheets for the case that something bad happens and someone else needs to enter the place.


I don't think the issue of IPA forming peroxides is an issue for the home chemist. I haven't found a single documented incident of IPA peroxide in the literature - can you provide any examples?

Various thoughts of a non-pyro' member

Sulaiman - 12-11-2024 at 00:40

Legal :
Personally, I follow my own rules,
but I own the property and I have no insurance.
If you are renting, have a home loan and/or insurance then you should consider your actions more carefully.

Social :
The absolute worst case disaster imaginable should not harm anyone other than yourself.
(So far I've always had a garage or shed to work in, and a garden to experiment in)
If you work with or store chemicals in a shared building then your hazards are also shared.
Fire prevention is good, but you MUST assume that the worst WILL happen, otherwise you are just fooling yourself.

Safely storing chemicals is a nuisance,
in my case I've relocated my hobby four times in recent years,
including one international movement when I had to dispose of most of my chemicals :(

On a lighter note;
as you intend to store sub-kg quantities of each potentially hazardous substance
and you seem to have given reasonable thoughts to this topic
I would not be too concerned.
To complete the topic, firefighting preparations should also be considered.

azomage - 12-11-2024 at 12:24

Hi Sulaiman,

You bring up a lot of good points. Thankfully, the space I am working in is not shared by anyone and is well away from the residence.

I have a few automatic fire extinguishing balls that will be hung around the garage. Not sure if they're actually effective? As for the metal powders, I'll have a few buckets of sand on hand. I also have ABC fire extinguishers on hand.

My project is microscale and is related to stage magic/flow arts that will be performed outdoors at night. I'm focusing mainly on star and colored fire compositions. I don't anticipate needing more than 100 grams of various compositions over the project's timeline. Probably only 1-5 grams for the actual performance.

So I'm going to have a lot of unmixed chemicals left over. I kind of resent that I was only able to order a minimum of a pound of chemicals, some in 3 pound bags!

So one of my concerns is (quietly) disposing these when my project is done, but fortunately, the MSDS tell me what to do and I'm aware of a chemical waste service nearby when needed.

[Edited on 12-11-2024 by azomage]

bnull - 12-11-2024 at 17:21

Quote: Originally posted by Deathunter88  
I don't think the issue of IPA forming peroxides is an issue for the home chemist.

It depends on what a home chemist intends to do with IPA. IPA and other secondary alcohols form peroxides regardless of whether it is a home lab or a research lab.
Quote: Originally posted by Deathunter88  
I haven't found a single documented incident of IPA peroxide in the literature - can you provide any examples?

It is relatively uncommon because these incidents happen during distillation or solvent evaporation. 2-Propanol peroxides are less volatile than the alcohol, so they concentrate on the liquid. But I guess this one is a good example. Or this, from Bretherick's Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards 7th ed., p. 509:
Quote:
Several explosions have occurred during laboratory distillation of isopropanol [1, 2, 4, 5], some with a sample stored for 5 years in a part empty can [5]. No cause was apparent, but presence of traces of ketone(s) promoting peroxidation is a probability. Previously, the presence of 0.36M peroxide had been reported in a 99.5% pure sample of isopropanol stored for several months in a partially full clear glass bottle in strong daylight [3]. The reformation of peroxides in de-peroxided isopropanol 'within a few days' had been noted [2]. It appears that the tertiary H on the 2-position is susceptible to autoxidation, and that 2-propanol must be classed as peroxidisable. 2-Hydroperoxy-2-hydroxypropane has, in fact, been isolated from photocatalysed oxidation of isopropanol.


The issue has also been discussed in this old thread: Isopropyl Alcohol (2-propanol) Peroxides.