REACTIVE AND UNSTABLE LABORATORY CHEMICALS

Preview This section discusses the hazards of unstable chemicals that are encountered in research and other laboratories. 

The first requirement of an explosive is stability - but only metastability. This can mean that what you performed without accident today may still blow your silly head off if repeated tomorrow. 

INCIDENT 5.3.3.2 RESEACHER SEVERELY INJURED FROM DETONATION  

What lessons can be learned from these incidents  

This section is not about explosives, but rather laboratory chemicals that may under certain conditions be unstable and may, if not handled properly, violently decompose, resulting in an explosive event - that is. 

---

Some reactive laboratory chemicals are unstable with potential explosive properties requiring special consideration and handling. Table 5.3.3.1 provides a list of common classes of compounds that often have unstable members and have potential to explode under certain conditions—this is not a comprehensive listing and not all chemicals in these classes have explosive properties. Our knowledge of these compounds comes from experience—that is, probably someone experienced an explosion with these compounds. 

Preparation and handling of actinides are very difficult, because of their scarcity, radioactivity, toxicity and reactivity. The actinides isotopes are unstable and they transform spontaneously into other elements by a and (3 decay or by fission. The chemical toxicity of the actinides is similar to the toxicity of other heavy elements. The radio toxicity is extremely high giving radiation damage in cells. The safe handling of actinides samples needs hermetically closed containments (glove boxes) maintained under low pressure with respect to the laboratory to avoid the risk of dispersion and inhalation of the particles if a break of containment occurs. 

All incoming containers of chemicals must have appropriate labels that are not removed or defaced. Each container should be labeled with the date it was received and the date it was opened, as some chemicals form unstable products or explosives when stored for relatively short periods. Chemicals in the laboratory shall be segregated by compatibility. Acids, bases, flammables, reactives requiring separate... 

---