Metacelsus - 18-6-2014 at 15:48
Some trimethylsilyl azide exploded yesterday at the building where I intern. A grad student was trying to vacuum distill it, and was injured by glass
shards. I was in the basement when it happened; the explosion was on the fourth floor, where I usually work. I could still hear it from the basement,
and I most definitely heard the subsequent alarm.
Warning to all: Messing with azides can end badly (and TMS-azide is safer than hydrazoic acid).
[Edited on 18-6-2014 by Cheddite Cheese]
Brain&Force - 18-6-2014 at 15:51
It looks like hydrazoic acid was the culprit:
http://chemjobber.blogspot.com/2014/06/twitter-tms-azide-exp...
Metacelsus - 18-6-2014 at 16:03
Even if hydrazoic acid impurities initiated the explosion, TMS-azide is not off the hook.
TheChemiKid - 18-6-2014 at 16:10
To sum up: Azides are scary!
zed - 3-7-2014 at 11:31
Jeeze. Stuff like that should be done at a special facility. No walls. Explosion barrier.
Must have know its potential to blow. So why?
mnick12 - 3-7-2014 at 15:59
It looks like it was about 200g of the stuff that exploded, I think the bigger issue is someone working with 200g of an azide! That is just dumb!
The Volatile Chemist - 3-7-2014 at 19:45
Right, my question is why?! Over an oz. would be nasty.