• Question: What is the most exiting chemical you've worked with? Whether it's the most vigorous or gives off the best reaction...

    • Keywords:
      • Click on a keyword to find out more on the RSC site:
      Asked by anon-285585 to Kate, Philip on 5 Mar 2021. This question was also asked by anon-287576.
      • Photo: Kate Gilbert

        Kate Gilbert answered on 5 Mar 2021:

        Hi Sam! I once had a reaction that was bright orange and bubbling and smoking!
        If you want to see some fun reactions for yourself, google ‘Elephant toothpaste experiment’ and ‘Dry ice bubbling experiment’!

      • Photo: Philip Camp

        Philip Camp answered on 15 Mar 2021: last edited 15 Mar 2021 5:50 pm

        I spent several summer holidays working at a company that specialised in carrying out nitrations of chemicals — all sorts of things, including pharmaceuticals. A common nitrating agent is a mixture of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids, and it is horrible. In contact with acetone or other common organic solvents, it produces clouds of orange fumes (NO2). It was bad enough working with this in the laboratory, but then there were barrels of the stuff at a pilot plant. I saw a colleague ‘nitrated’ following a pump failure, but we had them stripped and hosed down with water within about 10 seconds, so they just had yellow scabs for a couple of weeks. I guess that counts as ‘exciting’!

    Comments