Polverone
Now celebrating 21 years of madness
Posts: 3186
Registered: 19-5-2002
Location: The Sunny Pacific Northwest
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Mood: Waiting for spring
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NIH household products database
I discovered an interesting chemical database today. http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov tracks ingredients in a large number of household products. For some products they have percentage listings
of the substance you're looking for. It's far from complete, but you can find some interesting surprises by plugging different chemical
names in.
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madscientist
National Hazard
Posts: 962
Registered: 19-5-2002
Location: American Midwest
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Mood: pyrophoric
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Wow. You scored the jackpot. 
I weep at the sight of flaming acetic anhydride.
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Hermes_Trismegistus
National Hazard
Posts: 602
Registered: 27-11-2003
Location: Greece, Ancient
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Mood: conformation:ga
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Phosphorus
very peculiar, but there was one common chemical that wasn't listed in a product few people are ever far from.
The white coating in fluorescent lighting (according to the T.V. show "howitismade" is phosphorus.
Hmm!
[Edited on 10-12-2003 by Hermes_Trismegistus]
Arguing on the internet is like running in the special olympics; even if you win: you\'re still retarded.
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Polverone
Now celebrating 21 years of madness
Posts: 3186
Registered: 19-5-2002
Location: The Sunny Pacific Northwest
Member Is Offline
Mood: Waiting for spring
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No, can't be. The coating is white and powdery and doesn't react in air. It's a phosphor, not phosphorus.
The only household items I know of that contain some elemental phosphorus are road flare strikers, match strikers, and caps for toy guns. Small-scale
meth "cooks" often get their red phosphorus from match strikers. I suspect that this may be inspiring match makers to produce
lower-phosphorus-content match strikers, as the most recent matches I've bought (same kind as I usually get) came with pathetic strikers that can
barely ignite the matches. Either that or the manufacturer tried to shave another 2 cents off the cost. Either way, it's annoying and I hope to
find superior replacement matches when next I shop for them.
If you cut a match striker from a book of matches and burn it on a cold metal surface, a little bit of white phosphorus is released by the heat and
condenses. Wipe the sticky residue on your fingers and they will smoke in the light and glow in the dark, especially when you rub your fingers
together. White phosphorus is quite poisonous so I don't suggest licking your fingers afterward.
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The_Davster
A pnictogen
Posts: 2861
Registered: 18-11-2003
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Mood: .
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I was searching through the database and this product is listed to be 100% acetone yet under the health effects section it says it will expose you to benzene which will cause cancer. How is
there benzene in 100% acetone? or is it just a typo? and later in the document under carcenogenicity it says none: WTF is going on here
[Edited on 11-1-2004 by rogue chemist]
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Mumbles
Hazard to Others
Posts: 436
Registered: 12-3-2003
Location: US
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Mood: Procrastinating
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I have some of that acetone, and that always perplexed me. I came to the conclusion that maybe there is some benzene impurity in the raw product they
make/get. It doesn't have that benzene smell to it. Perhaps its possible for Benzene to form from acetone. I know you can make Trimethyl
Benzene from it at least, so there might be a way to get benzene.
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Organikum
resurrected
Posts: 2337
Registered: 12-10-2002
Location: Europe
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Mood: frustrated
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2 possibilities
1. This product did contain benzene in the old days this wasnt banned from public use and they plain forgot to change the MSDS (note: "extra
strength" blabla)
This gets a solid 98% probability from me.
2. It should read "acetone" instead of "benzene" following the rules of some obscure county in south california where EVERYTHING
is rated as cancerous what has not prooven to be not over at least 2000 years.
This gets 1%.
The 1% left is statistical unimportant - it does not exist, like the risk in nuclear power plants.
There cannot be benzene in this paintthinner as this is forbidden by law in consumer products. Gasoline is an exception - this mixture is so highly
dangerous it would be banned within seconds - if there wasnt a small lobby behind this automobilic mental disease....
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The_Davster
A pnictogen
Posts: 2861
Registered: 18-11-2003
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Mood: .
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Alright, thanks, now I dont have to worry about there being Benzene in my acetone.
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Hermes_Trismegistus
National Hazard
Posts: 602
Registered: 27-11-2003
Location: Greece, Ancient
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Mood: conformation:ga
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U.S. Military and Goverment Specifications (Incomplete)
http://www.hummelcroton.com/mil.html
[Edited on 12-1-2004 by Hermes_Trismegistus]
Arguing on the internet is like running in the special olympics; even if you win: you\'re still retarded.
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chloric1
International Hazard
Posts: 1142
Registered: 8-10-2003
Location: GroupVII of the periodic table
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Mood: Stoichiometrically Balanced
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Acetone
I was browsing my copy of Vogel and The bisulfite soln method is a very nice method to purify methyl ketones. I suggest you do this to eliminate any
doubt. You can buy sodium bisulfite from the www.chemistrystore.com store in decent quantities or use iron out.
[Edited on 1/12/2004 by chloric1]
[Edited on 1/12/2004 by chloric1]
Fellow molecular manipulator
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