transformer
Harmless
Posts: 45
Registered: 30-6-2005
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Mood: No Mood
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Palladium chloride toxicity
According to the MSDS, Palladium(II)chloride is labled as T+ (extremeley toxic) perhaps this rating comes from the dangers that arise when a person
would inhale palladium chloride dust.
For photography this compound seems to come in solution mostly, but what special precautions would chemists (or photographers) need to take when
handling PdCl2?
The msds sure makes palladium chloride look like it is as dangerous as mercury chloride or potassium cyanide.
According to wikipedia the compound palladium chloride was at one time prescribed as a tuberculosis treatment at the rate of 0.065g per day
(approximately one milligram per kilogram of body weight). This treatment did not have many negative side effects, but was later replaced by more
effective drugs.
So atleast it does not seem like an accumulative poison.
[Edited on 27-9-2005 by samsung]
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Sandmeyer
National Hazard
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When I started making alkyl halides to use as alkylating agents I was scared due to MSDS propaganda. It gave me placebo effects I thought I had been
poisoned and about to die in cancer. They exaggarate the riscs, I meen chloroform is skull-marked, but who hasn't been inhaling it to a stupor a
couple of times.
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Magpie
lab constructor
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I agree it is difficult to tell how much caution and protection to use after reading an MSDS on some compound for which you have no familiarity. I
think this is where a lot of laboratory experience helps. After taking general, organic, quant, qual, and physical chemistry courses one accumulates
a fair amount of laboratory time with a wide range of chemicals. I have yet to feel that I have suffered any ill health effects from my academic lab
experiments. Nor have I heard that any of my fellow students have suffered. However, I did have to go out for some fresh air one time after too
much ether, methylene chloride, or whatever. I just got light headed.
It seemed like the lab instructors never got too excited about inhaling anything unless it was H2S, lachrymators, Br2, or chlorsulfonic acid, and then
they just told us to pour the reagent in the hood. I've even seen a PhD instructor pouring sulfonyl chloride outside the hood, which I thought a
bit foolish.
Of course all academic experiments are tried and true and have been heavily reviewed for safety. We mad scientitst don't have benefit of a heavy
review except thru the auspices of this forum.
I think it is always wise to minimize your exposure to chemicals that an MSDS warns you about. But I also think some common sense and a lot of lab
experience help temper one's reaction to the MSDS.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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woelen
Super Administrator
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Registered: 20-8-2005
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I have experience with palladium chloride as a photographer and I do not take any other precautions than I take for general other chemicals. So, I try
not to touch it and if I work with finely powdered stuff, I use a dust mask, but certainly no gas mask or other more extreme things. I'm quite
sure that HgCl2 is way more toxic and dangerous than PdCl2.
In fact, in photography, Pd-salts are regarded a fairly safe alternative for platinum-salts. The latter are more dangerous, because of possible
sensitization and development of strong allergic reactions.
So, I think that the MSDS is strongly exaggerated. Just use common sense and normal/standard lab-practice.
[Edited on 27-9-2005 by woelen]
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