Hello List - For training purposes, I'm putting together a list of laboratory incidents/accidents/close calls/confusions that resulted from use of incorrect nomenclature (to emphasize the need to use and understand correct nomenclature). If you can think of any that would be of use, I would appreciate it. I can also summarize and post to the list. I've got the old "barium oxide" name for "barium peroxide", and the classic trike/TCE/PCE/TCA mess for the chlorinated ethanes/ethenes so dearly loved as cleaning solvents. A related example of what I'm looking for and the reference follow: A violent explosion took place after a student (pursuing an independent research project) attempted to follow a standard U.K. forensic procedure for fiber analysis. The student had used 0.1 g of a jute rope sample, 20 ml of glacial acetic acid, and 20 ml of 30 percent hydrogen peroxide. After heating the mixture in a flask in a boiling water bath on a hotplate, a detonation occurred. The ceramic top of the hotplate blew apart into rather massive fragments that were thought responsible for the cracking and damage of the laminated safety glass of the fume hood sash. Fortunately, the hood sash was down and the blast and fragments confined to the hood with no injuries. In this case, the mishap was attributed in part to the use of a more concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution than was called for in the procedure. This was due to the nomenclature employed by the U.K. procedure that was unfamiliar to American workers: a "20 volume" hydrogen peroxide solution was called for, not 20 percent. A "20 volume" hydrogen peroxide solution refers to the amount of hydrogen peroxide that can evolve 20 ml of oxygen for each ml of solution, and actually corresponds to 6 percent hydrogen peroxide. Other factors, such as possible metal ions in the fiber sample or accidental contaminants may also have played a role in the explosion. In addition, the shattering of the ceramic hotplate top suggested this possible shrapnel source might best be avoided where explosion hazards may occur. De Forest, P. and Rothchild, R. "Fiber Analysis Using Heated Hydrogen Peroxide." Chemical & Engineering News, Vol. 65(31), 1987:2 Thanks, Ben Ben Greene, Ph.D. Honeywell, NASA White Sands Test Facility
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