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Chemistry lab mishaps

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LAN_403

IntraWinding

Mon Sept 27 2010, 02:36PM

Registered Member #2261 Joined: Mon Aug 03 2009, 01:19AM
Location: London, UK
Posts: 581

I'm lucky I'm alive, but this one nearly killed a teacher!

Somewhere between age 11 and 13 I joined the new weekly lunchtime chemistry club at school. Basically it was 3 kids who liked making loud bangs and a teacher. For our very first experiment we asked,"Can we make Nitrogen Triiodide sir?" He agreed and produced a huge jar of iodine and some 880 ammonia. We'd all played with this stuff on a small scale and knew how sensitive it was, but still couldn't resist the urge to keep adding more iodine to the brew. It was poured into a filter paper in a glass funnel and then it was time to go. As kids we assumed the teacher knew more about this than we did, but over the week that followed we kept peaking through the window to see if the stuff had gone off yet, but it was still sitting there in the funnel.

At the next meeting we where shocked to see the teacher carry the funnel to his desk and to pull the filter paper from it. Moments later there was the expected huge sharp 'BANG' and a large violet cloud of Iodine vapour rose up in front of his face. We'd all temporarily lost the use of our hearing but seeing the teacher was ok apart from Iodine stains we burst into laughter, a bad move as he shouted at us to get out and the chemistry club never met again. A sad tale, but at least no one was seriously injured.

This video gives a good sense of what happened. Just imagine three times as much

serge petiot

Tue Aug 16 2011, 12:14PM

Registered Member #4054 Joined: Sun Aug 14 2011, 01:39PM
Location: The boonies, France
Posts: 26

I tried melting a residual ETN sliver inside a test tube with a torch. The original content of the test tube had been melted with a warm water bath and casted, but there was this tiny bitty left and I guess I got complecent.
Anyway, it detonated, and a major portion of the test tube ended up in tiny fragments under the skin of my torso, requiring a few hours surgery in an attempt to remove them.
Thank got my face and eyes where spared.
I stopped chemistry since.

Serge

Hon1nbo

Thu Aug 18 2011, 09:40PM

Registered Member #902 Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: Pacific Northwest USA
Posts: 1042

this one ended without harm, but is probably one of THE stupidest things you can do.
A person I know was in his 8th grade Chem lab, and decided to fill one of the beakers on the lab bench with water and drink it, didn't even check that it was clean (not that you should ever drink from a laboratory beaker that has been used). He was lucky, as at that time of year the other classes that meet earlier in the day were working with some of the standard lab acids (Hydrochloric, Sulfuric, Nitric, etc), and for once the youngsters actually cleaned their glassware before his group went in.

He was promptly banned by the department from any lab work whatsoever, other than monitoring and data logging.

Nothing bad ended up happening, but I really now question the intelligence of some people I know.

-Jimmy

ConKbot of Doom

Fri Aug 19 2011, 11:39AM

Registered Member #509 Joined: Sat Feb 10 2007, 07:02AM
Location:
Posts: 329

Maybe next time he'll be so lucky as for there to be a residue of phenolphthalein, and hilarity can ensue afterwards.

Said after checking online and finding there are phenolphthalein pills, chocolate, gum etc, meant for human consumption...

Adam Munich

Fri Aug 19 2011, 01:59PM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

If you eat a teaspoon of methylene blue, you're eyes and pee turns blue.

Makes for a fun practical joke.

Conundrum

Fri Aug 19 2011, 02:21PM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4062

Um, is this wise? last time I checked a lot of these synthetic dyes were quite toxic long term.

-A

Forty

Fri Aug 19 2011, 03:42PM

Registered Member #3888 Joined: Sun May 15 2011, 09:50PM
Location: Erie, PA
Posts: 649

As long as the person doesn't fall for the same trick every day, there wouldn't be much of a long term exposure right?

Bored Chemist

Fri Aug 19 2011, 05:09PM

Registered Member #193 Joined: Fri Feb 17 2006, 07:04AM
Location: sheffield
Posts: 1022

A couple of points, firstly a teaspoon full would be enough to dye a swimming pool blue.
Secondly methylene blue is somewhat toxic. If you play that trick with a few mg of methylene blue it's not likely to do much harm, but massively overdosing on it because you read a misguided post on-line would be a bad thing.

big5824

Fri Aug 19 2011, 10:38PM

Registered Member #1687 Joined: Tue Sept 09 2008, 08:47PM
Location: UK, Darlington
Posts: 240

A few years ago in a chemistry lesson I was sat next to the clumsy member of the class when we were each given a beaker of silver nitrate. Now being clear, it wasn't very obvious that the beakers contained anything, so said clumsy guy decided to pretend to take it like a shot then put the empty glass upside down on his head. Basically this guy poured Â£10 worth of silver nitrate down his face, resulting in some hilarious black stains like some goth kid with running makeup, which then caused the chemistry teacher to bang the table in anger so hard that he broke his hand. An eventful day to say the least.

Conundrum

Sat Aug 20 2011, 04:26PM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4062

I recall this story told to me a while back.

"Came the day when the chemistry students had to do a synthesis, which used chemicals they had access to. Well upon getting to this one student, the master asked "So what are you making?" "Fulminate of mercury, sir." as they stirred away.. "WHAT????!!!!! ... OK, get it out of here!!!" ....... !"

Turns out that the amounts involved were in the tens of grams, at which point you don't want to be within 50 feet of the beaker when something goes wrong.

Needless to say, the master took the day off due to stress.

-A

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