• Question: When you do a experiment do you get scared before because it could explode in your face

    Asked by ErnShark to Angus, Catherine, Jenni, Melissa, Waqar on 15 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: Melissa Ladyman

      Melissa Ladyman answered on 15 Jun 2016:

      Sometimes I work with chemicals that are explosive and you do have to be very careful. But laboratories are very safe places as long as you use your common sense and training. In our labs we make sure that we do not use metal when working with explosives- sparks could set things on fire, we also wear non-static clothes because static electricity can set off explosions. When we do an experiment with very small amounts of explosive we put the experiment behind a very strong glass screen. When we work with big amounts the experiments happen in another room and are controlled by machines so that we don’t have to be near it.

      Most chemicals are not explosive, but are poisonous so the more dangerous part is making sure that you don’t accidentally touch anything that might have the chemical on. We have to wash our hands very often, and always wear a lab coat and glasses.

      I must admit when I first started in labs I used to be quite scared in the lab in case things went wrong, but as with anything I got better with practice.

    • Photo: Angus Cook

      Angus Cook answered on 15 Jun 2016:

      Because chemicals can be dangerous, we need to think through what we want to do with them beforehand, to see if we can spot any possible risks.

      It’s a bit like planning your day at school. Do you have PE today? If yes, then you need your PE kit. Is it home clothes day? No, then I need to wear my uniform. Will I get hungry? Yes, then I need to bring my lunch.

      My version of this might be: Will the chemical burn my skin? Yes, then I need to wear gloves and a lab coat. Will the chemical explode if I get it wet? No, I can get it as wet as I want. Will it give off dangerous fumes if I heat it? Yes, but that’s OK because I’m not going to heat it and it’s going nowhere near a flame.

      So really before we do something in the lab we want to have a good idea of what’s going to happen (or what’s likely to be made) first. If we REALLY don’t know what’s going to happen when we mix Mystery Chemical A and Unknown Chemical B, then we only mix a LITTLE bit of each, and we’d be EXTRA careful.

    • Photo: Jenni Rodd

      Jenni Rodd answered on 16 Jun 2016:

      I don’t work with explosive chemicals. But my husband is a chemist and he once set a sink on fire. That was a BAD thing. And he got into a lot of trouble because he wasn’t being careful enough about keeping chemicals that he didn’t use separate from each other AFTER the experiment.

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