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

Printable Version  
 Pages:  1  2    4
Author: Subject: Bad Habits In The Lab
mayko
International Hazard
*****




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

Mood: anomalous (Euclid class)

[*] posted on 17-3-2016 at 20:31


I thought that was phosgene?



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
The Volatile Chemist
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1981
Registered: 22-3-2014
Location: 'Stil' in the lab...
Member Is Offline

Mood: Copious

[*] posted on 1-4-2016 at 14:43


That's strange. But is the 'reaction' which causes the bitter taste from some random component of the tobacco or the nicotine itself? Elsewise, of course, e-cigs wouldn't help in detection. Though somehow smoking a giant cigar sounds more cool than an e-cig in the lab anyways, even though e-cigs look postmodern/steampunk.



View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
JJay
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 3440
Registered: 15-10-2015
Member Is Offline


[*] posted on 1-4-2016 at 15:37


I usually try to keep food away, but I drink coffee in the lab all the time.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Sulaiman
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 3721
Registered: 8-2-2015
Location: 3rd rock from the sun
Member Is Offline


[*] posted on 1-4-2016 at 16:01


I frequently drink and smoke in my lab/shed
but most of my chemicals are at least food grade :)
View user's profile View All Posts By User
The Volatile Chemist
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1981
Registered: 22-3-2014
Location: 'Stil' in the lab...
Member Is Offline

Mood: Copious

[*] posted on 1-4-2016 at 19:14


Quote: Originally posted by JJay  
I usually try to keep food away, but I drink coffee in the lab all the time.

Yeah, I drink water and milk in the lab, but usually finish before I actually start something or just drink it while I watch something, not while I'm working. I don't like to taste the vapors or powders which have drifted into my drink and dissolved, as I usually am able to taste that sort of thing...




View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
aga
Forum Drunkard
*****




Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline


[*] posted on 2-4-2016 at 14:01


If cigarettes/beer/coffee were banned from my lab, it'd be Empty.

Well, Full of cool Stuff, just totally unused.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
dhaffnersr
Harmless
*




Posts: 30
Registered: 29-3-2016
Location: Hopewell VA
Member Is Offline

Mood: always cool and calm...

[*] posted on 3-4-2016 at 04:30


Ha! I thought I was the only one who swung around the empties;)

I'm glad you admitted it first though!
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
Intergalactic_Captain
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 228
Registered: 4-9-2004
Location: somewhere where i don\'t know where i am
Member Is Offline

Mood: frabjous

[*] posted on 3-4-2016 at 13:18


Overstocking due to odd availibilities - Started in my first lab a decade ago with 1lb of NH4I (Malinkrodt!) for $25, learned a lot about how NOT to prepare elemental iodine - Now the remaining ~100g is used in mg amounts as a substitute for catalytic I2 in a handful of reactions. I've got a few more examples, especially when it comes to pyrotechnic chems, but that's one of the gems in the collection.

And then theres just about everything regarding improper handling of glassware - Karma's a bitch - Over the span of a week not long ago I lost probably $300 in beakers and 24/40 gear in the wash sink.

Biggest one though is not respecting heat, and the last lesson is gonna stick with me for a while. I was attempting to prepare toluenesulphonic acid ala Norris, but using an oil bath rather than steam. After six hours or so I was getting impatient, and decided to toss in a stirbar to get things moving - Well, move they did, in the form of a geiser of hot acid directly into my face. Thankfully, I wear glasses, and had a 5lb box of baking soda in reach - scrubbed down, jumped in the shower, and began the long and not-fun healing process.

. . . Got damn lucky but a few scars are still gonna be there for a long while - Lesson learned - Let it cool before introducing nucleation points! In the back of my mind I knew this, but that "done this a thousand times" mentality is occasionally difficult to overcome.




If you see me running, try to keep up.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
100PercentChemistry
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 117
Registered: 21-8-2015
Location: On the island of stability
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 3-4-2016 at 16:56


Not washing my glassware after an experiment. It may not seem like a big deal, but it's a real pain to clean it later.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Sulaiman
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 3721
Registered: 8-2-2015
Location: 3rd rock from the sun
Member Is Offline


[*] posted on 3-4-2016 at 20:09


with just about every professional chemist using glassware
you'd think that by now we'd have e-z-cleen glass or similar :(
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Ozone
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1269
Registered: 28-7-2005
Location: Good Olde USA
Member Is Offline

Mood: Integrated

[*] posted on 4-4-2016 at 11:28


See note #1:

http://www.orgsyn.org/demo.aspx?prep=CV1P0314

O3




-Anyone who never made a mistake never tried anything new.
--Albert Einstein
View user's profile View All Posts By User
The Volatile Chemist
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1981
Registered: 22-3-2014
Location: 'Stil' in the lab...
Member Is Offline

Mood: Copious

[*] posted on 9-4-2016 at 17:44


Quote: Originally posted by 100PercentChemistry  
Not washing my glassware after an experiment. It may not seem like a big deal, but it's a real pain to clean it later.

Story of my chemical life right there...
Also, I always dry things on a hotplate, just because I'm in a hurry. Usually end up splattering stuff everywhere...




View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
arkoma
Redneck Overlord
*******




Posts: 1763
Registered: 3-2-2014
Location: On a Big Blue Marble hurtling through space
Member Is Offline

Mood: украї́нська

[*] posted on 9-4-2016 at 21:07


drinking.............



"We believe the knowledge and cultural heritage of mankind should be accessible to all people around the world, regardless of their wealth, social status, nationality, citizenship, etc" z-lib

View user's profile View All Posts By User
Nucleophile
Harmless
*




Posts: 11
Registered: 14-4-2016
Location: My laboratory
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 15-4-2016 at 08:19


Cleaning fume hood with perchloric acid.... Kidding lol. I always wondered why does it say '' do not work with perchloric acid in the fumehood''.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
chemrox
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 2961
Registered: 18-1-2007
Location: UTM
Member Is Offline

Mood: LaGrangian

[*] posted on 15-4-2016 at 10:26


Quote: Originally posted by 100PercentChemistry  
Not washing my glassware after an experiment. It may not seem like a big deal, but it's a real pain to clean it later.

Me too. I've had to resort to piranha a couple of times. Quality of glass is a factor too. I notice Kontes sep funnels and flasks come clean in soapy water even after sitting around for weeks. Chemglass not so much. Bomar gets etched easily. Pyrex is as good as kontes. Wheaton makes good soft glass. Seems like you can beat a wheaton container with a hammer and not break it. And they are in the US! Vineland NJ at last call. As an aside, I recommend Scientific Machine and Supply of Plainfield, NJ for threaded glass couplings. The owners were lens makers and still affiliated with a lens manufacturing plant. They cut the threads on a machine lathe. These hold vacuums well. I used to work for them designing glassware. We didn't make the glassware there but had a shop in Vineland do the donkey work. They also make ptfe replacement parts and sleeves. I'm looking for a good glassblower in PDX if anyone knows or has a favorite. Ahhh - too many topics!!!




"When you let the dumbasses vote you end up with populism followed by autocracy and getting back is a bitch." Plato (sort of)
View user's profile View All Posts By User
The Volatile Chemist
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1981
Registered: 22-3-2014
Location: 'Stil' in the lab...
Member Is Offline

Mood: Copious

[*] posted on 15-4-2016 at 15:23


Quite cool that you used to work at such a place. I have noticed my few Pyrex pieces come clean a lot easier than the china-glass, but also that they look cleaner to start out with, have more of a sparkle to them.



View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
 Pages:  1  2    4

  Go To Top