ScienceHideout - 10-7-2012 at 12:01
I am a bit nervous... I've heard many things- many lab accidents- due to shelf collapse.
The problem is, in my lab, I use a nice wooden shelf and have shelf stops that are metal. But I store acid in that cabinet! You can see why I am
nervous.
Do any of you have the same worries? Has anyone had an incident with shelf collapse due to acid eating the stops? Should I worry? Is there anything I
can do to prevent shelf collapse?
I don't keep much acid in my cabinet. Just a couple 500 mL bottles of HCl, a 1L bottle of H2SO4, about 250 mL of H3PO4, and 500 mL of HNO3.
Hexavalent - 10-7-2012 at 12:12
Your nitric acid should be stored away from all other chemicals.
What I do is tape the lids shut, put the bottles in plastic bags, put the bags in a tray, put the tray into a large plastic container with a shallow
layer of sodium carbonate on the bottom and then put the lot into my cupboard on the lowest shelf. No acid fumes escape this way and if a bottle
somehow broke or leaked a) the containment would catch at least some of it, and it would hopefully be neutralized by the carbonate present.
This is probably 90% certain of stopping the acids from eating the shelf holders/stops, but I always reinforce my old kitchen unit shelves with extra
pieces of wood, held onto the frame with fastenings, just incase anything DID happen.
kavu - 10-7-2012 at 12:16
Usually lab shelves are arranged in such a way that the heaviest, biggest and most dangerous materials are stored on the lowest shelf. This has worked
out nicely for me with wooden shelves. An additional plastic container is also used with acids and other corrosives. In case of a spill or any other
accident the corrosive chemicals are contained, giving some time to act before it's all over the floor.
[Edited on 10-7-2012 by kavu]
Endimion17 - 10-7-2012 at 15:08
Don't wrap bottles with corrosives in plastic bags. That traps the fumes which then corrode the labels.
kavu, if there isn't a cabinet, the flammables should go on the top shelf, in the tray with some absorbent. If they start burning on the bottom shelf,
they ruin everything and make the entire construction come down crashing.
cyanureeves - 10-7-2012 at 16:43
i not only have metal brackets i got metal shelves,metal walk-in tool cage,tool box etc.. i used to have a well built tool shop. everything is rust
now and it is annoying to have rust all over lab glass,flasks and stuff but there is no going back ever to life without tinkering with chemicals.so
far everything is holding except my beautiful six drawer roll away tool box,it just fell apart. a new tool shed is in the planning and it will be all
wood and formica and white oil base paint. if i still worked at demolishing i would save all the granite slabs used for old school restroom stalls and
make a killer floor.my old dog used to lick the rust caused by chlorine gas.
ScienceHideout - 11-7-2012 at 12:18
Do you think that I can replace my shelf stops (metal of some sort) with copper? Do you think that copper would be strong enough?
ScienceHideout - 11-7-2012 at 12:23
Not copper shelves- shelf stops.
Pyro - 11-7-2012 at 15:41
well, bear in mind copper is a lot weaker than most other metals. I'd personally just put the stuff you are afraid about on the floor in a cat litter
box with sand or something.
Sublimatus - 11-7-2012 at 15:43
Just don't let the cat into your lab if you do that. 
MyNameIsUnnecessarilyLong - 11-7-2012 at 16:58
As far as legality goes, does anyone know if acids can be stored together in one cabinet if they're separated from each other by shelves or shelf
dividers?
[Edited on 7-12-2012 by MyNameIsUnnecessarilyLong]
Sublimatus - 11-7-2012 at 17:06
I think acids are supposed to be stored in a metal acids cabinet. Someone else probably knows the rules for sure.
Those sorts of regulations are rarely based on scientific reason, though.
I remember overhearing a fire marshal telling the head of the lab I was in that diethyl ether absolutely had to be placed in the flammables cabinet,
rather than in the explosion proof refrigerator we had it stored in. Those guys were seriously the worst. Always coming in and doing stupid crap
like cutting the power cords on a hotplate midreaction because they didn't like the way the casing on the wire looked.
ScienceHideout - 11-7-2012 at 17:55
I always keep all my inorganic acids together in a tray in my cabinet (with the metal shelf stops- yikes!) with the exception of nitric acid. It is in
the same cabinet, but I keep the nitric acid bottle in a big plastic container. All my organic acids I keep in my organic cabinet!
In fact, I found this to be quite helpful when organizing my chemicals-
http://labsafety.flinnsci.com/Chapter.aspx?ChapterId=83&...
http://labsafety.flinnsci.com/Assets/Documents/Chemical%20St...
Flinn Scientific designed a kick-@ss chemical storage system. The compatible families are of anions- all halides are stored in together, all nitrates
are stored together, all oxides and hydroxides, etc. Mr. Flinn says there will be no chemistry happening on the shelves!
I use this system in my lab, and I encourage everyone to do the same. It is very simple to get used to, and it really stresses the largest
incompatibility- ORGANIC AND INORGANIC.
DJF90 - 11-7-2012 at 23:55
Thanks for sharing!