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submitted 4 months ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

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[-] ornery_chemist@mander.xyz 10 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Like, so what if we store our tBuLi with other low-flash point flammables? And pyrophoric oxidizers? In the same bin? That's stuck in a block of ice in the 30-year-old freezer because it hasn't ever been de-iced?

What if the power goes out for a long period of time and the tBuLi goes for a swim? Or we say you have to de-ice the freezer?

Haha sounds crazy. And, I wouldn't have to do the shitty quench before disposal. Or work on that project anymore.

Because you're injured or because PI fires you?

Haha, yeah :)

:|

Oh, while you're here, does this still smell like DCM? I can't tell if I rotavapped it all off and the NMR tubes all need aqua regia (sorry my b).

[-] TonyTonyChopper@mander.xyz 3 points 4 months ago

Aqua regia isn't even that scary. Try pipetting pure bromine while it shoots itself out from constantly evaporating

[-] ornery_chemist@mander.xyz 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Aqua regia ain't no piranha, and also ain't the most concerning thing in my post lol.

Ah bromine. Super dense, low MW, and low bp, all making dosing accurate amounts a heroic feat. If you store your bromine cold, you can precool the pipette by sucking up and spitting out a few times before transfering, which helps cut down the vapor.

[-] skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Like, so what if we store our tBuLi with other low-flash point flammables? And pyrophoric oxidizers? In the same bin? That's stuck in a block of ice because in the 30-year-old freezer because it hasn't ever been de-iced?

That's just bad management and you shouldn't store tBuLi that long anyway because it'll decompose. You shouldn't put it in freezer either

Oh, while you're here, does this still smell like DCM? I can't tell if I rotavapped it all off and the NMR tubes all need aqua regia (sorry my b).

just put it on high vacuum

What are you working with that requires aqua regia to clean NMR tubes? I've only had to use piranha once in a decade, while cleaning things that acetone, DCM, and basic ethanol won't touch, and this was just after moving to another lab

[-] ornery_chemist@mander.xyz 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

That's just bad management / just put it on high vacuum

Yes. The whole thing is satirizing the "Safety -> Against" bit. Each piece, though exaggerated for effect, has a basis in something I've seen over the years.

Regarding NMR tubes though, the answer in my old group was precious metal complexes, which have a tendency to mirror out once they've done their bit. Or just existed for too long; a lot of them were touchy. The mirror tends to resist solvents and scrubbing. Nitric acid alone sometimes was enough to remove it depending on the metal, but often not. At some point the cost, effort, and danger are all supposed to outweigh just binning the lot and buying new tubes, but my PI was allergic to buying new things.