Laboratory safety common solvents

Water is also included in the table to make one point— the solvent that we are all most familiar with is a poor candidate from both engineering and safety standpoint. The critical temperature and pressure are among the highest for common solvents. Ammonia is very unpleasant to work with since a fume hood or other venting precautions are needed to keep it out of the laboratory atmosphere. One of the alternative fluids of potential interest is nitrous oxide. It is attractive since it has molecular weight and critical parameters similar to carbon dioxide, yet has a permanent dipole moment and is a better solvent than carbon dioxide for many solutes. There are evidences of violent explosive reactions of nitrous oxide in contact with oils and fats. For this reason, nitrous oxide should be used with great care and is not suitable as a general purpose extraction fluid. 

Two common solvents used in clandestine drug laboratories are diethyl ether and acetone. Being less than vigilant in laboratory and safety practices, clandestine chemists often work with leaky equipment. If a person were brought to the emergency room under suspicious circumstances, where would you predict the bum patterns on the person s body to be most pronounced if he or she was ir red by a fire or explosion at a clandestine laboratory ... 

Waste generated in the laboratory can often be characterized from knowledge of the starting materials (e.g., hydrocarbon mixture, flammable laboratory solvents, chlorobenzene still bottoms). Professional expertise, common sense, judgment, and safety awareness of trained professionals performing chemical operations in the laboratory usually put them in a position to judge the type and degree of chemical hazard. 

In general, chlorinated solvents are commonly used for processing in laboratories, which have restricted application in industrial operation due to safety risks and... 

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