DCHAS-L Archives, Aug 03 2022 - Re: [DCHAS-L] iron pentacarbonyl

Reading John Callen's remarks about caution when working with "boranes, carbonyls, and other pyrophorics" and mindful of the encouragement we often receive to share incidents that went awry, I was reminded of an incident that occurred when I was doing undergraduate research in carborane chemistry. (For any who might be keeping track, that would have been 1973-1975, or almost 50 years ago!)

I was preparing a carborane for use as a starting material. The synthesis, which had been reported in the English translation of the Soviet journal Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, stated that the compound "oxidized slowly in air." I had filtered the solid material, dried it under vacuum, and was in the process of transferring the material, still in a funnel, to a glove box. Just as I set the secondary container down in an adjacent fume hood to open the door to the glove box antechamber, the substance in the filter funnel spontaneously ignited, giving rise to a flamethrower-like torch. "Oxidized slowly in air" had apparently lost something in translation. The vagaries of memory being what they are, I have no recollection of how the fire was extinguished. I suspect it was by covering or smothering it to remove air. I was not injured and there was no damage, but the memory does linger.

Irene Cesa

On Wed, Aug 3, 2022 at 4:10 PM John Callen <jbcallen**At_Symbol_Here**gmail.com> wrote:

Debbie,

My comment was based from the reactivity of iron pentacarbonyl as a flammable liquid, etc.

Please look at the warnings, especially "Prevention" in the attached link.

https://www.ilo.org/dyn/icsc/showcard.display?p_lang=en&p_card_id=0168&p_version=2

When I was in graduate research, I always took a very cautious and measured approach when I was working with or around others who were working with boranes, carbonyls and other pyrophorics, explosive & shock sensitive, etc. chemicals. That why I stated the use of an explosion-proof laboratory hood.

All My Best,

John

On Aug 3, 2022, at 15:01, Debbie Decker <debbie.m.decker**At_Symbol_Here**gmail.com> wrote:

John Callen writes "...the meantime, Iron pentacarbonyl, as you know, is nasty stuff and should be used with extreme caution in an explosion-proof laboratory hood."

I'm wondering what you meant by the phrase "explosion-proof laboratory hood." This brings to mind for me Class 1, Division 1 electrical utilities to the hood, installed in a space with a similarly protected electrical system.

Is that your intent?

Debbie

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