Chemistry 101

[Roger Cole]

Some of this is just sensible, and some sounds more than a bit alarmist to me. Rapid Fix part B, the hardener, contains sulfuric acid. Sure it will eat through your clothes. So will battery acid. I've lost jeans to battery acid when working on the battery connections to a diesel generator where I used to work, but I've never lost clothes to fixer hardener, because it comes in a nice little bottle that's a lot easier to handle. I knew what the battery acid would do to clothes and wore old clothes I didn't care about and tried not to get any on them, but sometimes it happened. I'm not about to drink either one, or wash my hands in them.

Some of this honestly strikes me as, "if you're dumb enough to do that, let Darwin have his say."

[K-G]

Nah. I think common sense is receding far faster than the ice caps. Have you seen what's going on in Washington lately? His much common sense can be left?

True ! I do hope the polar caps will hang in longer than common sense on Capitol Hill .

Karl-Gustaf

[Vaughn]

Roger, our Part B use to come in 5 gallon cubetainers (now in 76oz bottles)...and someone else spilled it along the edge of the sink's countertop, thus when I leaned across the counter, I thought is was just water.

I mentioned it because unlike battery acid, "Part B" does not sound very dangerous.

[Photo Engineer]

It is nice working for a university with a friendly Chemistry Dept. I have a pound of Potassium clorate that is one semi-solid chunk. When I needed a small amount, I gave a call over to the Chemistry folks to 1) make sure that its age would not be a factor and 2) if it was safe to knock off a chunk. I was told it would be fine, and not to use too big of a hammer.

Kodak Rapid Fixer Part B (hardener) will eat thru your clothes nicely -- lost a pair of jeans that way years ago.

You are a very lucky guy. If there were any organic contaminants in the Chlorate and you had hit it hard enough, you would not be around to tell the story. I split a Railroad Tie with Potassium Chlorate once by hitting a contaminated sample with a hammer.

PE

[Gerald C Koch]

Some of this is just sensible, and some sounds more than a bit alarmist to me.

I don't think that saying people should be careful and always know what they are doing is in any way "alarmist."

[Vaughn]

You are a very lucky guy. PE

I am even a bit nervous just having in my office -- which is why I called the Chemistry Dept...and I did not hit it hard! It is stored away from any other of the chemicals I have in here.

[Roger Cole]

Roger, our Part B use to come in 5 gallon cubetainers (now in 76oz bottles)...and someone else spilled it along the edge of the sink's countertop, thus when I leaned across the counter, I thought is was just water.

I mentioned it because unlike battery acid, "Part B" does not sound very dangerous.

Sorry Vaughn, not picking on you. It is indeed easy to mistake a clear liquid like water along a sink where one would expect water for being water, whereas drops on a wet cell battery one pretty well assumes to be battery acid. That's a good point.

[Roger Cole]

I don't think that saying people should be careful and always know what they are doing is in any way "alarmist."

Well of course not. But that's not how some of this comes across, at least to me. And I have no issue with your original post either. I'd have to go back through the thread to find examples that sound over the top to me. If they don't to someone else, fine.

And why, for the ten thousandth time, is APUG the only vBulletin site I use that doesn't allow multiquoting? Argh.

[Gerald C Koch]

This might prove useful for those experimenting. The American Chemical Society has assigned each chemical with a unique number, the CAS number. If you have any doubt as to whether two names apply to the same chemical look at the two CAS numbers. If they are not identical then the chemicals are not identical.

There is a classical chemistry demonstration as to the difference between silver cyanate and silver fulminate. Both substances have the same emperical formula. One is extremely explosive and the other is not. The different CAS numbers show that they are different.

[Photo Engineer]

I think that due to some recent posts and threads here on APUG, it became obvious that people are doing a lot of "experimenting" who have no knowledge of chemistry at all and Jerry has jumped in to help save them from possible grief.

I myself, have tried to prevent accidents when people were advised to heat chemicals in cook pots on the stove and etc..... Or, even heating chemicals in the microwave. All of these are dangerous practices that should not be done, especially for the average unprepared person. After years in the lab and seeing many accidents happen even to trained professionals, I advise caution of you are going into the "unknown" and ask the experts for advice.

PE