Question: What is the ost dangerous experiment you have done in the lab?

Sarah Thomas answered on 17 Jun 2011:

The most dangerous experiment I do in the lab uses a chemical called hydrazine. Hydrazine has the chemical formula N2H4. It is highly toxic and extremely unstable! This means I have to be super careful when handling it, and wearing all my safety gear. Once I am finished with my experiment, I have to neutralise the hydrazine with bleach. Anything that has come into contact with the hydrazine but be neutralised: my gloves, any glass ware or pipettes I have been using. When the hydrazine reacts with the bleach, it bubbles furiously and makes this big foam. Even just one tiny drop will do that!

The second most dangerous chemical I use in the lab is called DMF and it is a colourless liquid. It doesn’t really have a smell either, it could just be a bottle of water, it if wasn’t for the label. But if you get DMF on your skin, or breathe it in it can affect your fertility and if you are pregnant, it can cuase you to miscarry. When I use DMF I wear a gas mask, not because I am pregnant but because I don’t want to risk not being able to get pregnant in the future!