CHRIS25 - 14-6-2012 at 11:14
With the intention of substituting the Oxide with my own calcium chloride I bought a couple of these de-humidifier containers containing 700grams of
Calcium Oxide. I thought that having the oxide would be nice for experimentation. However, as I always do, I read about the chemical and check out
safety concerns etc etc. I was so alarmed at what I read that my immediate reaction was stupified (not in harry Potter style), this product is
intended to be in rooms with little ventilation, to absorb water and to be in close proximity to where one lives and sleeps. So naturally I am
dumb-founded by what I have read. Surely there is something amiss here? And the one about moisture seems unreal since it only turns it to calcium
hydroxide I thought....
Question marks are my insertions...
Extracted from an MSDS pdf.......
Do not Inhale??????. Keep container dry?????. Do not breathe dust. Never add water to this product??????. In case of insufficient ventilation??????,
wear suitable
respiratory equipment. If you feel unwell, seek medical attention and show the label when possible. Avoid contact with skin
and eyes. Keep away from incompatibles such as organic materials, acids, moisture?????.
Storage: Keep container tightly closed??????. Keep container in a cool, well-ventilated area??????. Do not store above 24°C (75.2°F).
[Edited on 14-6-2012 by CHRIS25]
Hexavalent - 14-6-2012 at 11:21
TBH, most MSDSs are just exercises in arse covering.
The bit about water and humidity are for lab samples; when calcium oxide reacts with water it makes calcium hydroxide, which can be undesirable. Thus
laboratories will want to preserve their CaO by keeping moisture away. This is done predominantley by keeping the container tightly closed, which
doesn't allow moisture and humidity from the air to enter.
Inhaling stuff goes for any chemical, but here it will react with water to form a strong base which will probably attack the lungs and respiratory
tract and cause damage.
Ingesting any lab chemical is not good, seeing a doctor if you ingest anything from the lab is usually good practice anyway.
CHRIS25 - 14-6-2012 at 13:50
=== but here it will react with water to form a strong base which will probably attack the lungs and respiratory tract and cause damage===
Precisely, so if it is in a room where you sleep then obviously as it slowly turns to calcium hydroxide you will be breathing in the vapours? Or are
we talking "hanging it from chin and sniffing it the whole day"? Or since one of the minor ingredients is quote ...plus tiny paricles of activated
carbon...unquote, designed to absorb the backlash of fumes arising from this calcium hydroxide, which it can not because acivated carbon can not
absorb strong acids and bases, amongst other things, in its millions of microscopic pores created in the carbon.
[Edited on 14-6-2012 by CHRIS25]
Hexavalent - 14-6-2012 at 14:16
The idea of inhaling it is if you open the lid, and a load of CaO dust is released and you then breath that in. Solid or even aqueous calcium
hydroxide will not release fumes.
Eddygp - 17-6-2012 at 12:30
Uh, you know, it sort of reacts very exothermically when you add some CaO to say, a bucket of water. VERY exothermically. So, umm, it will sort of
'burn' (not combustion) with water.