Re: [Histonet] picric acid
I read "Chemical Magic" and the "Anarchist's Handbook" in high school many years ago. That was back when boys carried pocket knives and sometime took their shotguns to school to show their friends. I still occasionally make a little bit of NI_3 for fun. We've tried to make picric acid explode and have taken it out in the yard and burned it and beat on it with hammers. It's really not all that easy to make it go "BOOM" or even make crisp pops. Just don't mix it with heavy metals. I agree strongly that it should be handled with respect, and with gloved hands like any staining powder. Store it wet, but the /~~paranoia~/~ about picric acid is exactly that. And on the part of the cops and bomb squads who take picric acid out and detonate it amid much drama and fanfare, heavy on the delusions and illusions of grandeur. E. Wayne Johnson, DVM Enable Ag-Tech Beijing On 05/07/2016 12:01 AM, Julio Benavides wrote: Thank you so much everybody for your help!! "Morken, Timothy" escribió: Here's another good document on how to handle picric acid powder www.ehs.wisc.edu/chem/SafeHandlingOfPicricAcid.pdf -Original Message- From: Morken, Timothy via Histonet [mailto:histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] Sent: Friday, May 06, 2016 8:28 AM To: Julio Benavides Cc: Histonet Subject: Re: [Histonet] picric acid Julio, you can just pour water into the container. We always oversaturated so that a layer of water was on top of the powder. Look at this explanation http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/cci/safety/picric.pdf or read the text below if you cannot open this. This contains instructions on how to properly store picric acid powder, and how to deal with dry powder found in the lab. Long ago I had the pleasure of discovering a batch of six 2kg bottles of dry picric acid in our "bunker" where we stored flammables. Over 10 years old according to dates on the box. We called in the fire department to take care of it. They hosed it down, removed it and disposed of it; how, I don't know. Tim Morken Pathology Site Manager, Parnassus Supervisor, Electron Microscopy/Neuromuscular Special Studies Department of Pathology UC San Francisco Medical Center +++ PICRIC ACID HAZARDS Mark Cameron, CIH Every couple months, an article appears in the local paper about a bomb disposal team removing picric acid that was found in a laboratory. The material is usually taken to be blown up. So why is picric acid considered so dangerous? Well, let’s look at the history of the use of Picric Acid and see what can be done to avoid those types of situations. Picric Acid (2,4,6 Trinitrophenol) is frequently found in forensic laboratories for use in the Christmas Tree stain (1) and for Urine detection (2). Histology uses include connective tissue stain (Jullien’s picroindogocarmine and Van Gieson’s picro-acid fuchsin), cytoplasmic stain (Van Gieson’s with iron hematoxylin), woody sections (picro aniline blue) and as a fixative agent (3). It was used in medicinal formulations in the treatment of malaria, trichinosis, herpes, smallpox and antiseptics. A one- percent solution was also used in the treatment of burns (4). British Chemist Peter Woulfe discovered picric acid in 1771. Picric acid was named from the Greek word pikros, which means “bitter” due to its bitter taste (5). It was used to dye silk and wool yellow. Workers making picric acid during World War I were called “canaries” because their skin was stained yellow (6). The explosive characteristics of Picric acid were discovered early. In 1885, experiments with picric acid were conducted in Lydd, England and the English adopted it as an explosive material called Lyddite in 1888. It was used extensively in bombs and grenades during World War I (7). Anhydrous Picric acid is similar to TNT. It needs usually needs a “booster” such as a primer to create the explosion. However, as a strong acid, picric acid attacks common metals (except tin and aluminum) creating explosive salts, which are shock-sensitive. Bombs, mines and grenades were coated with tin or ashpatim to prevent the picric acid from contacting the metallic shell (8). Several catastrophic events involving picric acid have occurred. On December 6, 1917, an ammunition ship in Nova Scotia carrying 2,300 tons of picric acid as well as 400,000 pounds of TNT caught fire and exploded. Over 1,900 people were killed immediately and 9,000 were injured (9). Shock-sensitive metal picrates demonstrated their hazardous nature on May 1, 1916 when a fire at a French ammunition factory caused molten picric acid to flow onto the concrete floor. Calcium picrate was formed and detonated, killing 170 people (10). 06/18/02 Have there been any explosions in laboratories? There are no documented instances of spontaneous detonation of picric acid in a laboratory (11). The
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
Thank you so much everybody for your help!! "Morken, Timothy" escribió: Here's another good document on how to handle picric acid powder www.ehs.wisc.edu/chem/SafeHandlingOfPicricAcid.pdf -Original Message- From: Morken, Timothy via Histonet [mailto:histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] Sent: Friday, May 06, 2016 8:28 AM To: Julio Benavides Cc: Histonet Subject: Re: [Histonet] picric acid Julio, you can just pour water into the container. We always oversaturated so that a layer of water was on top of the powder. Look at this explanation http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/cci/safety/picric.pdf or read the text below if you cannot open this. This contains instructions on how to properly store picric acid powder, and how to deal with dry powder found in the lab. Long ago I had the pleasure of discovering a batch of six 2kg bottles of dry picric acid in our "bunker" where we stored flammables. Over 10 years old according to dates on the box. We called in the fire department to take care of it. They hosed it down, removed it and disposed of it; how, I don't know. Tim Morken Pathology Site Manager, Parnassus Supervisor, Electron Microscopy/Neuromuscular Special Studies Department of Pathology UC San Francisco Medical Center +++ PICRIC ACID HAZARDS Mark Cameron, CIH Every couple months, an article appears in the local paper about a bomb disposal team removing picric acid that was found in a laboratory. The material is usually taken to be blown up. So why is picric acid considered so dangerous? Well, let’s look at the history of the use of Picric Acid and see what can be done to avoid those types of situations. Picric Acid (2,4,6 Trinitrophenol) is frequently found in forensic laboratories for use in the Christmas Tree stain (1) and for Urine detection (2). Histology uses include connective tissue stain (Jullien’s picroindogocarmine and Van Gieson’s picro-acid fuchsin), cytoplasmic stain (Van Gieson’s with iron hematoxylin), woody sections (picro aniline blue) and as a fixative agent (3). It was used in medicinal formulations in the treatment of malaria, trichinosis, herpes, smallpox and antiseptics. A one- percent solution was also used in the treatment of burns (4). British Chemist Peter Woulfe discovered picric acid in 1771. Picric acid was named from the Greek word pikros, which means “bitter” due to its bitter taste (5). It was used to dye silk and wool yellow. Workers making picric acid during World War I were called “canaries” because their skin was stained yellow (6). The explosive characteristics of Picric acid were discovered early. In 1885, experiments with picric acid were conducted in Lydd, England and the English adopted it as an explosive material called Lyddite in 1888. It was used extensively in bombs and grenades during World War I (7). Anhydrous Picric acid is similar to TNT. It needs usually needs a “booster” such as a primer to create the explosion. However, as a strong acid, picric acid attacks common metals (except tin and aluminum) creating explosive salts, which are shock-sensitive. Bombs, mines and grenades were coated with tin or ashpatim to prevent the picric acid from contacting the metallic shell (8). Several catastrophic events involving picric acid have occurred. On December 6, 1917, an ammunition ship in Nova Scotia carrying 2,300 tons of picric acid as well as 400,000 pounds of TNT caught fire and exploded. Over 1,900 people were killed immediately and 9,000 were injured (9). Shock-sensitive metal picrates demonstrated their hazardous nature on May 1, 1916 when a fire at a French ammunition factory caused molten picric acid to flow onto the concrete floor. Calcium picrate was formed and detonated, killing 170 people (10). 06/18/02 Have there been any explosions in laboratories? There are no documented instances of spontaneous detonation of picric acid in a laboratory (11). The Department of Transportation classifies Picric Acid (Trinitrophenol) with less than 30% water by mass as a Class 1.1D explosive; with greater than 10% water by volume, it is a class 4.1 flammable solid (12). In the wetted state, it is unlikely to be an explosive hazard. If a bomb squad tries to blow it up, the picric acid will not detonate (13) and will just spread picric all over the area! The big concern has been with finding dehydrated picric acid. The most dangerous situations is if the bottle is old and has a metal cap. Under these circumstances, shock sensitive metal picrates may have formed on the cap contact area. Explosive experts should be contacted under these situations. Knowledgeable bomb disposal experts will use a robot to pick up the container and place it in water to re-hydrate the material (14) or remove it for detonation elsewhere. If a plastic cap is present, and the acid inside has dr
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
Here's another good document on how to handle picric acid powder www.ehs.wisc.edu/chem/SafeHandlingOfPicricAcid.pdf -Original Message- From: Morken, Timothy via Histonet [mailto:histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] Sent: Friday, May 06, 2016 8:28 AM To: Julio Benavides Cc: Histonet Subject: Re: [Histonet] picric acid Julio, you can just pour water into the container. We always oversaturated so that a layer of water was on top of the powder. Look at this explanation http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/cci/safety/picric.pdf or read the text below if you cannot open this. This contains instructions on how to properly store picric acid powder, and how to deal with dry powder found in the lab. Long ago I had the pleasure of discovering a batch of six 2kg bottles of dry picric acid in our "bunker" where we stored flammables. Over 10 years old according to dates on the box. We called in the fire department to take care of it. They hosed it down, removed it and disposed of it; how, I don't know. Tim Morken Pathology Site Manager, Parnassus Supervisor, Electron Microscopy/Neuromuscular Special Studies Department of Pathology UC San Francisco Medical Center +++ PICRIC ACID HAZARDS Mark Cameron, CIH Every couple months, an article appears in the local paper about a bomb disposal team removing picric acid that was found in a laboratory. The material is usually taken to be blown up. So why is picric acid considered so dangerous? Well, let’s look at the history of the use of Picric Acid and see what can be done to avoid those types of situations. Picric Acid (2,4,6 Trinitrophenol) is frequently found in forensic laboratories for use in the Christmas Tree stain (1) and for Urine detection (2). Histology uses include connective tissue stain (Jullien’s picroindogocarmine and Van Gieson’s picro-acid fuchsin), cytoplasmic stain (Van Gieson’s with iron hematoxylin), woody sections (picro aniline blue) and as a fixative agent (3). It was used in medicinal formulations in the treatment of malaria, trichinosis, herpes, smallpox and antiseptics. A one- percent solution was also used in the treatment of burns (4). British Chemist Peter Woulfe discovered picric acid in 1771. Picric acid was named from the Greek word pikros, which means “bitter” due to its bitter taste (5). It was used to dye silk and wool yellow. Workers making picric acid during World War I were called “canaries” because their skin was stained yellow (6). The explosive characteristics of Picric acid were discovered early. In 1885, experiments with picric acid were conducted in Lydd, England and the English adopted it as an explosive material called Lyddite in 1888. It was used extensively in bombs and grenades during World War I (7). Anhydrous Picric acid is similar to TNT. It needs usually needs a “booster” such as a primer to create the explosion. However, as a strong acid, picric acid attacks common metals (except tin and aluminum) creating explosive salts, which are shock-sensitive. Bombs, mines and grenades were coated with tin or ashpatim to prevent the picric acid from contacting the metallic shell (8). Several catastrophic events involving picric acid have occurred. On December 6, 1917, an ammunition ship in Nova Scotia carrying 2,300 tons of picric acid as well as 400,000 pounds of TNT caught fire and exploded. Over 1,900 people were killed immediately and 9,000 were injured (9). Shock-sensitive metal picrates demonstrated their hazardous nature on May 1, 1916 when a fire at a French ammunition factory caused molten picric acid to flow onto the concrete floor. Calcium picrate was formed and detonated, killing 170 people (10). 06/18/02 Have there been any explosions in laboratories? There are no documented instances of spontaneous detonation of picric acid in a laboratory (11). The Department of Transportation classifies Picric Acid (Trinitrophenol) with less than 30% water by mass as a Class 1.1D explosive; with greater than 10% water by volume, it is a class 4.1 flammable solid (12). In the wetted state, it is unlikely to be an explosive hazard. If a bomb squad tries to blow it up, the picric acid will not detonate (13) and will just spread picric all over the area! The big concern has been with finding dehydrated picric acid. The most dangerous situations is if the bottle is old and has a metal cap. Under these circumstances, shock sensitive metal picrates may have formed on the cap contact area. Explosive experts should be contacted under these situations. Knowledgeable bomb disposal experts will use a robot to pick up the container and place it in water to re-hydrate the material (14) or remove it for detonation elsewhere. If a plastic cap is present, and the acid inside has dried, some crystals may be on the threads and the friction of removing a plastic cap might be enough to detonate the container. Under these circumstances, the c
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
ottle. At this point, it is safe to open the cap and re-hydrate the acid inside (15). Whenever in doubt, contact explosives experts. Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you really need to have picric acid in your lab, here’s what you should do: 1. Make sure that the picric acid is kept wet! Do not open a new bottle until needed. Then date the container to show when it was first used to help you in a routine inspection program. As part of your lab inspection program, check the hydration of your picric acid at least every six months and add distilled water as necessary. 2. Do not use metal spatulas to remove the material. 3. Be sure to clean the bottleneck, cap and threads with a wet cloth before resealing (16). 4. Get rid of old bottles with metal caps 5. Do not store large amounts of picric acid. Dispose of your picric acid every two years (17). 6. If possible, eliminate it from your inventory by purchasing premixed stains or a 1% solution for using in stain preparation. If you decide to dispose of your wet picric acid, several options are available. First, you could try reducing the picric acid to a non-explosive form using sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide (18). After this treatment, the material will still be toxic and have to be disposed of as hazardous waste. Alternatively, it could be manifested as a flammable solid for hazardous waste and disposed of by incineration. DO NOT pour it down the drain; it could react with copper or iron piping to form the explosive salts. As a last consideration, Picric Acid is toxic. Ingestion of 1-2 grams would cause severe poisoning. The dust is irritating to the skin and eye. A peculiar effect on the eye is “yellow” tainted vision. Systemic poisoning causes headache, vertigo, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The skin will turn yellow in severe exposures. Red colored urine may be produced (19). These symptoms would not expected in the laboratory environment under traditional uses. REFERENCES 1. Gaensslen, R., Mertens, J., Lee, H., Stolotow, M., “Staining and Extraction Techniques”, Proceeding of a Forensic Science Symposium on the Analysis of Sexual Assault Evidence., FBI Academy, 1983. 2. Slot C. “Plasma creatinine determination. A new and specific Jaffe reaction method.” Scand J. Clin. Lab. Invest. 1965, 17: 381 3. Lillie, R.D., “H.J. Conn’s Biological Stains”, Williams & Wilkins Company, 1969, Baltimore, MD, pages 5, 60-61. 4. Patty’s Toxicology, John Wiley & Sons: New York, 2000, Volume IIB, page 980. 5. Davis, Tenney, “The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives”, Angriff Press, 1984, page 164. 6. Hamilton, Alice, “Exploring the Dangerous Trades”, American Industrial Hygiene Association: Fairfax, Virginia, 1995, page 185. 7. Cooper, Paul, “Explosives Engineering”, Wiley-VCH, 1996, page 33. 8. Davis, ibid. 9. Phifer, Russell, “Picric Acid: When is Panic Justified?”, Speaking of Safety, Volume 9, No. 2, 2000, page 1-3. 10. Medard, Louis, “Accidental Explosions, Volume 2: Types of Explosive Substances”, John Wiley and Sons: New York, 1989, page 739. 11. Phifer, ibid. 12. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Section 172.101. 13. Kraut, Irv, In Handbook of Chemical Health and Safety, Alaimo, Robert J., Ed., Oxford University Press; New York, 2001, page 406. 14. Personal Communication with Tom Gundlach of RHR Inc., August 23, 2000. 15. Guidance for the Management of Reactive Chemicals, Picric Acid, http://www.uwsa.edu/oslp/ehs/info/picric.htm , 8/97 revision. 16. Safe Use and Management of Picric Acid, Safety Net #104, http://wwwehs.ucdavis.edu/sflynet/sn-104.html ,11/21/01 17. Biological & Chemical Safety Code, Appendix H-3, Handling Procedures for Unstable Agents, University of Saskatchewan, Department of Health and Safety, http://duke.usask.ca/~whiterv/unstable.html, 11/21/01. 18. Lunn, George and Sansone, Eric B., “Destruction of Hazardous Chemicals in the Laboratory”, John Wiley & Sons: New York, 1990, page 219-221. 06/18/02 19. Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values, American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, Inc.: Cincinnati, Ohio, 1991, page 1271. 06/18/02 +++ -Original Message- From: Julio Benavides via Histonet [mailto:histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] Sent: Friday, May 06, 2016 7:11 AM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: Re: [Histonet] picric acid Hi, For how long can you keep it in water? any particular dilution or just keep it humid (saturation)? We also do have some dry picric acid in the lab and, after reading about the bomb squad, I was begining to get concerned... Thanks a lot julio El 06/05/2016 a las 15:30, Rene J Buesa via Histonet escribió: > Picric acid is an expensive reagent useful in many histology > procedures.The advise you received of adding water is a good one.Humid > picric acid will not explode at all. Why waste a good reagent?Keep > humid, you will eventually used
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
Hi, For how long can you keep it in water? any particular dilution or just keep it humid (saturation)? We also do have some dry picric acid in the lab and, after reading about the bomb squad, I was begining to get concerned... Thanks a lot julio El 06/05/2016 a las 15:30, Rene J Buesa via Histonet escribió: Picric acid is an expensive reagent useful in many histology procedures.The advise you received of adding water is a good one.Humid picric acid will not explode at all. Why waste a good reagent?Keep humid, you will eventually used it.René On Thursday, May 5, 2016 3:24 PM, Mca Werdler via Histonet wrote: Dear histonetters, Since a few months, i started working in a histology lab, run only by me ( coworkers are not specialized in histology). There has not worked here a person at histology for about 2 years. After many new protocols, i decided to clear out some chemicals. Now i found around 1 KG of DRY picric acid. I informed my coworkers about this, and they said just to dissolve everything in water. What do you guys think is the best way for handeling with this explosive chemical? Thank you all in advance! Maarten ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
Picric acid is an expensive reagent useful in many histology procedures.The advise you received of adding water is a good one.Humid picric acid will not explode at all. Why waste a good reagent?Keep humid, you will eventually used it.René On Thursday, May 5, 2016 3:24 PM, Mca Werdler via Histonet wrote: Dear histonetters, Since a few months, i started working in a histology lab, run only by me ( coworkers are not specialized in histology). There has not worked here a person at histology for about 2 years. After many new protocols, i decided to clear out some chemicals. Now i found around 1 KG of DRY picric acid. I informed my coworkers about this, and they said just to dissolve everything in water. What do you guys think is the best way for handeling with this explosive chemical? Thank you all in advance! Maarten ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
Hi, Do not touch it and call the bomb squad to dispose of it. I have had several friends, including myself, find this on a back shelf in Histology and when they hauled it off and exploded it they said it would take out a city block. I do not mess with it. it's not worth taking the chance. Call the proper people to dispose of it for you. Carole Los Angeles, CA -Original Message- From: Mca Werdler via Histonet [mailto:histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2016 12:09 PM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] picric acid Dear histonetters, Since a few months, i started working in a histology lab, run only by me ( coworkers are not specialized in histology). There has not worked here a person at histology for about 2 years. After many new protocols, i decided to clear out some chemicals. Now i found around 1 KG of DRY picric acid. I informed my coworkers about this, and they said just to dissolve everything in water. What do you guys think is the best way for handeling with this explosive chemical? Thank you all in advance! Maarten ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet This email message and any files transmitted are sent with confidentiality in mind and contain privileged or copyright information. You must not present this message to another party without gaining permission from the sender. If you are not the intended recipient you must not copy, distribute or use this email or the information contained in it for any purpose other than to notify Martin Luther King, Jr. - Los Angeles (MLK - LA) Healthcare Corporation and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital. Any views expressed in this message are those of the sender, except where the sender specifically states them to be the views of Martin Luther King, Jr. - Los Angeles (MLK - LA) Healthcare Corporation and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately, and delete this email from your system. We do not guarantee that this material is free from viruses or any other defects although due care has been taken to minimize the risk. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqTZNn0UHdA Jay A. Lundgren, M.S., HTL (ASCP) On Thu, May 5, 2016 at 12:29 PM, STEVEN PINHEIRO via Histonet < histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu> wrote: > Well you have the most important part correct- Keep it wet. But that > doesn't address how to dispose of it. You could choose to make it non > explosive by using sodium hydroxide and sulfide. But then its toxic and > needs to be treated and removed accordingly. You can also list it as > flammable and have it removed by the correctly licensed third party. > Never pour down the drain as it could react w copper pipes. Many reasons > to dispose of it properly. > > Steve Pinheiro > > > > -Original Message- > From: Mca Werdler via Histonet [mailto:histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] > Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2016 2:09 PM > To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu > Subject: [Histonet] picric acid > > Dear histonetters, > > Since a few months, i started working in a histology lab, run only by me ( > coworkers are not specialized in histology). There has not worked here a > person at histology for about 2 years. > > After many new protocols, i decided to clear out some chemicals. > Now i found around 1 KG of DRY picric acid. I informed my coworkers about > this, and they said just to dissolve everything in water. > > What do you guys think is the best way for handeling with this explosive > chemical? Thank you all in advance! > > Maarten > ___ > Histonet mailing list > Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu > http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet > > Confidentiality Notice: > This e-mail, including any attachments is the property of Trinity Health > and is intended for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). It may > contain information that is privileged and confidential. Any unauthorized > review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the > intended recipient, please delete this message, and reply to the sender > regarding the error in a separate email. > > > ___ > Histonet mailing list > Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu > http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet > ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
Well you have the most important part correct- Keep it wet. But that doesn't address how to dispose of it. You could choose to make it non explosive by using sodium hydroxide and sulfide. But then its toxic and needs to be treated and removed accordingly. You can also list it as flammable and have it removed by the correctly licensed third party. Never pour down the drain as it could react w copper pipes. Many reasons to dispose of it properly. Steve Pinheiro -Original Message- From: Mca Werdler via Histonet [mailto:histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2016 2:09 PM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] picric acid Dear histonetters, Since a few months, i started working in a histology lab, run only by me ( coworkers are not specialized in histology). There has not worked here a person at histology for about 2 years. After many new protocols, i decided to clear out some chemicals. Now i found around 1 KG of DRY picric acid. I informed my coworkers about this, and they said just to dissolve everything in water. What do you guys think is the best way for handeling with this explosive chemical? Thank you all in advance! Maarten ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail, including any attachments is the property of Trinity Health and is intended for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). It may contain information that is privileged and confidential. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete this message, and reply to the sender regarding the error in a separate email. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] picric acid paranoia
Ship them as you would any biological test samples. No problems here. Sent from my iPhone On Jun 4, 2013, at 5:52 AM, "Smith, Allen" wrote: > Picric acid bound to collagen is not an explosion hazard. Even if it were, > the surrounding paraffin wax would cushion the picric acid to the point of > making it shockproof. Most of the picric acid in a fixative ends up in the > hazmat bottle rather than in the tissue. Thus even putting 50 or so blocks > of tissue fixed in picric acid into a hot fire would create less blast than a > hearing aid battery. > Bulk picric acid, where there is no moderator between the crystals, is > another story. > - Allen A. Smith, Ph.D. > Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine > > -Original Message- > From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu > [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Tyrone Genade > Sent: Monday, June 03, 2013 2:30 PM > To: histonet > Subject: [Histonet] picric acid paranoia > > Hello, > > I am moving to the USA from sunny South Africa. I would like to bring my wax > blocks with me but the fish inside them were fixed with Bouin's fluid. > I'm worried the picric acid could draw the wrong sort of attention. Courier > companies and US Customs (which never got back to me) haven't been able to > give me an answer if they are safe to travel. The blocks have sat under my > lab bench for 4 years without blowing up so I guess they are perfectly safe. > Anyone have an opinion on the issues or some advice on an expert (at US > customs?) to contact? I would probably ship them by surface post as it just > more cost effective. > > Thanks > > Tyrone Genade PhD > Department of Human Biology > University of Cape Town > ___ > Histonet mailing list > Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu > http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet > > > > > > ___ > Histonet mailing list > Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu > http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
RE: [Histonet] picric acid paranoia
Picric acid bound to collagen is not an explosion hazard. Even if it were, the surrounding paraffin wax would cushion the picric acid to the point of making it shockproof. Most of the picric acid in a fixative ends up in the hazmat bottle rather than in the tissue. Thus even putting 50 or so blocks of tissue fixed in picric acid into a hot fire would create less blast than a hearing aid battery. Bulk picric acid, where there is no moderator between the crystals, is another story. - Allen A. Smith, Ph.D. Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Tyrone Genade Sent: Monday, June 03, 2013 2:30 PM To: histonet Subject: [Histonet] picric acid paranoia Hello, I am moving to the USA from sunny South Africa. I would like to bring my wax blocks with me but the fish inside them were fixed with Bouin's fluid. I'm worried the picric acid could draw the wrong sort of attention. Courier companies and US Customs (which never got back to me) haven't been able to give me an answer if they are safe to travel. The blocks have sat under my lab bench for 4 years without blowing up so I guess they are perfectly safe. Anyone have an opinion on the issues or some advice on an expert (at US customs?) to contact? I would probably ship them by surface post as it just more cost effective. Thanks Tyrone Genade PhD Department of Human Biology University of Cape Town ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
RE: [Histonet] picric acid paranoia
I agree with Bryan, the only dangerous form is anhydrous powder. I'm thinking they might be more interested in having you declare these blocks are not infectious... Tim Morken Supervisor, Electron Microscopy/Neuromuscular Special Studies Department of Pathology UC San Francisco Medical Center -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Bryan Llewellyn Sent: Monday, June 03, 2013 12:05 PM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: Re: [Histonet] picric acid paranoia I don't know what the US regulations for importing paraffin blocks are, but Bouin fixed and paraffin processed tissues are perfectly safe. It is picric acid and its simple salts which are dangerous when dried. Since your tissues went through alcohol during processing, any free picric acid will have been removed and only that attached to the proteins remains. In fact, the paraffin wax itself is likely more of a hazard since it is inflammable. I suspect they could be safely shipped by mail, with appropriate declarations. Bryan Llewellyn Tyrone Genade wrote: > Hello, > > I am moving to the USA from sunny South Africa. I would like to bring > my wax blocks with me but the fish inside them were fixed with Bouin's fluid. > I'm worried the picric acid could draw the wrong sort of attention. > Courier companies and US Customs (which never got back to me) haven't > been able to give me an answer if they are safe to travel. The blocks > have sat under my lab bench for 4 years without blowing up so I guess > they are perfectly safe. Anyone have an opinion on the issues or some > advice on an expert (at US customs?) to contact? I would probably ship > them by surface post as it just more cost effective. > > Thanks > > Tyrone Genade PhD > Department of Human Biology > University of Cape Town > ___ > Histonet mailing list > Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu > http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet > ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] picric acid paranoia
I don't know what the US regulations for importing paraffin blocks are, but Bouin fixed and paraffin processed tissues are perfectly safe. It is picric acid and its simple salts which are dangerous when dried. Since your tissues went through alcohol during processing, any free picric acid will have been removed and only that attached to the proteins remains. In fact, the paraffin wax itself is likely more of a hazard since it is inflammable. I suspect they could be safely shipped by mail, with appropriate declarations. Bryan Llewellyn Tyrone Genade wrote: Hello, I am moving to the USA from sunny South Africa. I would like to bring my wax blocks with me but the fish inside them were fixed with Bouin's fluid. I'm worried the picric acid could draw the wrong sort of attention. Courier companies and US Customs (which never got back to me) haven't been able to give me an answer if they are safe to travel. The blocks have sat under my lab bench for 4 years without blowing up so I guess they are perfectly safe. Anyone have an opinion on the issues or some advice on an expert (at US customs?) to contact? I would probably ship them by surface post as it just more cost effective. Thanks Tyrone Genade PhD Department of Human Biology University of Cape Town ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
RE: [Histonet] Picric Acid
When I was in Texas the second time ( I was there from 1981-1986 and returned in 1991. OK so I'm dating myself) , we were preparing a CAP inspection. I found a brown bottle way in the back of the chemical cabinet. Lo and behold it was the picric acid I saved from the previous go round. I said to my supervisor (Hector for those of you who know us) "Hey man, look what I found? Picric acid." We can't have this around, I'll go put in my truck". I put more water in the bottle and I carried it around a couple of days until after the inspection. Yep, miss those days. The things I do for my buddy. Joe -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Jackie O'Connor Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 3:20 PM To: tgo...@mt.gov; cing...@uwhealth.org; mcaul...@umdnj.edu; histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: Re: [Histonet] Picric Acid There is a lot of published data on the hazards of picric acid - although I don't think most histo labs have to worry about what they have in house for trichromes and fixation. It did cost me more disposal since we used to use hundreds of gallons a year for fixation of testes. Finding an alternative fixative was a good move for us. Jackie O' -Original Message- From: Goins, Tresa To: Ingles Claire ; Geoff ; histonet Sent: Wed, Sep 19, 2012 3:02 pm Subject: [Histonet] Picric Acid A WEB site just for historical interest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion e continue to use picric acid in the lab, but only as an aqueous or saturated olution. The chemical safety guys came out and carefully removed the bottle of moistened" picric acid that we had on the shelf for several years - they were ery excited as it was no longer "moist" - Montana is very dry. Tresa Original Message- rom: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] n Behalf Of Ingles Claire ent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:17 PM o: Geoff; histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu ubject: RE: [Histonet] RE: mouse testis in Bouins/Picric acid hazzards Yes, but why take the chance. There are also other chemicals in the lab the icric acid can interact with to make it even more volitile than it was to begin ith. Dynamite other explosives have the same problem. The older it gets the ore degraded and unstable it becomes. One never knows if or when. I'd like to void traumatically amputating my arms if possible, thank you. laire From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu on behalf of Geoff ent: Mon 9/17/2012 9:26 AM o: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu ubject: Re: [Histonet] RE: mouse testis in Bouins/Picric acid hazzards I am with Wayne on this one. While I have not tried to make it explode it does eem to me that the dangers are hyped beyond reason. ears ago an old bottle of picric acid would be discovered in a high school hemistry lab. Horrors! Call the bomb squad! So it was taken out to a large ield, packed with explosives and BOOM! Of course it exploded, it was surrounded ith explosives. Geoff On 9/14/2012 8:58 PM, E. Wayne Johnson wrote: What danger of Picric Acid are you concerned with? ___ istonet mailing list isto...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu ttp://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ istonet mailing list isto...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu ttp://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] Picric Acid
Yes, Picric Acid was once a popular explosive and differs from TNT only in the substitution of -OH with -CH3 in the case of TNT. The Halifax explosion was dramatic. I understand the snark-hunting zeal of regulatory bureaucrats. I once upon a time had a job in such a group. We keep nitric acid and sulfuric acid and glycerine. Someone down the hall has some kieselguhr. But we aren't much worried that those are going to get together and cause a problem in the lab or on the number 11 bus. My question is this: Are there any documented cases of picric acid explosions in a histopath laboratory or any other laboratory due to dried out picric acid? (please note that we do keep ours wet) There is something like over a 100 years experience with picric acid in histopathology. Surely there was some anecdote of an explosion somewhere if there really is a hazard. On 9/20/2012 4:01 AM, Goins, Tresa wrote: A WEB site just for historical interest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion We continue to use picric acid in the lab, but only as an aqueous or saturated solution. The chemical safety guys came out and carefully removed the bottle of "moistened" picric acid that we had on the shelf for several years - they were very excited as it was no longer "moist" - Montana is very dry. Tresa -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Ingles Claire Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:17 PM To: Geoff; histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: RE: [Histonet] RE: mouse testis in Bouins/Picric acid hazzards Yes, but why take the chance. There are also other chemicals in the lab the picric acid can interact with to make it even more volitile than it was to begin with. Dynamite other explosives have the same problem. The older it gets the more degraded and unstable it becomes. One never knows if or when. I'd like to avoid traumatically amputating my arms if possible, thank you. Claire From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu on behalf of Geoff Sent: Mon 9/17/2012 9:26 AM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: Re: [Histonet] RE: mouse testis in Bouins/Picric acid hazzards I am with Wayne on this one. While I have not tried to make it explode it does seem to me that the dangers are hyped beyond reason. Years ago an old bottle of picric acid would be discovered in a high school chemistry lab. Horrors! Call the bomb squad! So it was taken out to a large field, packed with explosives and BOOM! Of course it exploded, it was surrounded with explosives. Geoff On 9/14/2012 8:58 PM, E. Wayne Johnson wrote: What danger of Picric Acid are you concerned with? ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] Picric Acid
There is a lot of published data on the hazards of picric acid - although I don't think most histo labs have to worry about what they have in house for trichromes and fixation. It did cost me more disposal since we used to use hundreds of gallons a year for fixation of testes. Finding an alternative fixative was a good move for us. Jackie O' -Original Message- From: Goins, Tresa To: Ingles Claire ; Geoff ; histonet Sent: Wed, Sep 19, 2012 3:02 pm Subject: [Histonet] Picric Acid A WEB site just for historical interest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion e continue to use picric acid in the lab, but only as an aqueous or saturated olution. The chemical safety guys came out and carefully removed the bottle of moistened" picric acid that we had on the shelf for several years - they were ery excited as it was no longer "moist" - Montana is very dry. Tresa Original Message- rom: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] n Behalf Of Ingles Claire ent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:17 PM o: Geoff; histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu ubject: RE: [Histonet] RE: mouse testis in Bouins/Picric acid hazzards Yes, but why take the chance. There are also other chemicals in the lab the icric acid can interact with to make it even more volitile than it was to begin ith. Dynamite other explosives have the same problem. The older it gets the ore degraded and unstable it becomes. One never knows if or when. I'd like to void traumatically amputating my arms if possible, thank you. laire From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu on behalf of Geoff ent: Mon 9/17/2012 9:26 AM o: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu ubject: Re: [Histonet] RE: mouse testis in Bouins/Picric acid hazzards I am with Wayne on this one. While I have not tried to make it explode it does eem to me that the dangers are hyped beyond reason. ears ago an old bottle of picric acid would be discovered in a high school hemistry lab. Horrors! Call the bomb squad! So it was taken out to a large ield, packed with explosives and BOOM! Of course it exploded, it was surrounded ith explosives. Geoff On 9/14/2012 8:58 PM, E. Wayne Johnson wrote: What danger of Picric Acid are you concerned with? ___ istonet mailing list isto...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu ttp://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ istonet mailing list isto...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu ttp://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
I whole-heartedly agree with and applaud Amos Brooks playing Devil's advocate. I certainly would never discount the degree of danger with what is a high explosive and would take all due caution using disposal people who know what they are doing. But there is a use for the substance and one needs to separate mystery and uncertainty and incomplete facts and anecdote from actual fact. It is my understanding that while pure, crystalline picric acid might be unstable and shock sensitive (and a danger to a degree), it is the metal or salt picrates that are way, way more dangerous. Thus warnings in chemistry for picric acid; don't use metal spatula's. No metal cans or metal caps. Don't drop on concrete (silica and other things). Don't dispose down drain (lead or other metals). When viewing the chemistry guy in college who "blows up" a minute amount of picric acid on an asbestos pad over a Bunsen burner it is NOT pure picric acid but PA plus Pb (Lead) salt. While artillery shells might have been filled with picric acid they were relatively stable but they became way more unstable if the picric acid reacts with the metal casing or fuse casing (the infamous Halifax Explosion???). Thus the following to my utter dismay. You hear or watch on youtube a "bomb disposal unit"?? blowing up a glass jar of dangerous picric acid they remove from school. In the field right next to a soccer goal post. As a former soccer goalie who used to dive all over the ground my question is; is anyone picking up the thousands of shards of glass from the soccer field? And what about the dispersed picric acid since no chemical reaction is 100% efficient and there must be dangerous picric acid (residue) all over the place. It is not well known but prior to the Trinity blast there was a lot of study of encasing the bomb in an enormous containment vessel called Jumbo. If the lens shaped, multi-firing pin, high explosive nest surrounding the sub-critcal fissionable mass had mis-fired by even a milli-second, the core would have blown to one side instead of attaining criticality by being compressed. As there was very little fissionable grade material on the face of the earth at that point, they wanted to retrieve it "clean it from the environments and re-use it" by containing it. What if they had used Jumbo (it still sits, unused hundreds of yards away from detonation point), while most of it would have vaporized in the successful test, might there not be shards of highly radioactive bits of metal scattered and raining down for hundreds of square miles including on sports fields near towns. Where soccer goalies play? Ray Ray Koelling Seattle, Washington - Original Message - From: "Amos Brooks" To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Sent: Sunday, February 5, 2012 6:47:12 AM Subject: [Histonet] picric acid Hi, The largest disaster I know of related to picric acid (among other things) is one that every one working with it should keep in mind. The Halifax explosion basically leveled the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1917. While they were carrying much more than the 500 ml to 1 gallon that we might use it is worth noting the magnitude of what this caused. There is a really good Wikipedia article on it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion This was a terrible disaster and it underscores why we need to be really conscious of the chemicals we work with, and even the ones we haven't used in years. I would also like to play Devil's advocate here though. Yes there are inherent hazards with many chemicals we work with. But, we also need to be able use these chemicals in a safe manner. If used safely, these chemicals can be used for stains that cannot really be replicated with substitutes. Picro-sirius red is a good example of this. The solution to hazardous chemicals is not getting rid of them and burying your head in the sand. It is education and understanding of the hazards and using them properly. Amos Brooks ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
Way back in 1976, I had just been disgorged from graduate school with a MS degree in microbiology, and I landed a job in a hospital lab in a Chicago suburb as the micro supervisor. Since I was the new guy, and no one else wanted the (unpaid) job, I was also appointed as Laboratory Safety Officer. One morning I sallied forth into the histology lab with my clipboard and flashlight to look for safety hazards. Everything was in good shape until I looked under a sink. There was a brown glass gallon bottle at the back of the cabinet, which I dragged out and plunked down on the bench. The label was yellow with age (and the pigment of picric acid which had leaked from a small crack in the bottle.) The label identified the contents as liquid picric acid, which was now a single solid crystal, since all of the liquid had evaporated. It would have been about a half gallon if it had still been liquid. I recalled my clinical chemistry class, in which we learned that the picric acid we used for serum creatinine was explosive in the crystalline state. I called the local fire department, and they were first concerned that we had suffered an acid spill, but I explained that this acid was a solid, but potentially explosive. Since there was no chemical spill, they were not too concerned, and said they would get back to me. About an hour later, the bomb squad showed up in full regalia. The fire department had looked up picric acid and found it was 2,4,6 trinitrophenol, a close relative of 2,4,6 trinitrotoluene (TNT). They evacuated that wing of the hospital (the entire lab and about 50 patients on the two floors above the lab), and carried the bottle of picric acid out in their bomb disposal device. They detonated it in a field far away from the hospital by firing a rifle shot into it. It left a crater about 20 feet in diameter and ten feet deep. It was featured on the evening news by at least two of the Chicago TV stations. They had nice video of patients on gurneys being rolled down the halls, and a great view of the exploding bottle. Mythbusters could have learned from that video. Unfortunately, the hospital administration was not amused by the publicity, and we had to explain to multiple committees why we had such a hazardous substance in the lab. The final comment on this incident is that the bottle had been under the sink for years. No one working in the lab at that time could remember when it was last used. This cabinet was where the histotechs stored their purses (back in the days when nearly all histotechs were female). They would come in at the beginning of their shift and toss (literally) their purses into the cabinet. Virchow be praised, they had never hit the bottle with enough force to detonate it. If any of the histotechs who worked at HPH back in those days are on this list, I'd love to hear from you. Best regards, Eric Hoy === Eric S. Hoy, Ph.D., SI(ASCP) Clinical Associate Professor Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, Texas Email: eric@utsouthwestern.edu === On 2/3/12 12:50 PM, "Perry, Margaret" wrote: > I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in > acetone if a little dried around the cap. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
Just wipe away any drops after closing the bottle. But your solution makes nice shiny plastic objects become ugly dull yellow plastic objects. Avoid spilling ;) I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services Box 2175 South Dakota State University Brookings SD 57007 605-688-5638 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
RE: [Histonet] picric acid
I do not know about a solution, but a REALLY BIG one with a 1 oz bottle of picric acid crystals. When I was in college bottle was vibrated off a shelf by an out of balance centrifuge. It was common for students to work w/ chemicals late at night when taking inorganic chem. The student loaded the centrifuge and left the room (went outside for a smoke), bottle dropped to the floor, exploded and left a 6 ft x 8 ft whole in the counter and wall and pretty much destroyed the 30 ft x 30 ft lab. Very lucky no one was hurt. At the time, i remember thinking, hey we will get a pass on the next assignment, only got two days off. University Safety team had an accurate listing of all chemicals on the shelves and determined it had to be the picric acid. Safety and the Fire marshal did a sweep of the university and found six other bottles in various labs on campus. Never did hear how they disposed and I bet that made a BIB BANG!! William DeSalvo, B.S., HTL(ASCP) > From: margaret.pe...@sdstate.edu > To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu > Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 18:50:37 + > Subject: [Histonet] picric acid > > I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in > acetone if a little dried around the cap. > > Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) > Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services > Box 2175 > South Dakota State University > Brookings SD 57007 > 605-688-5638 > > ___ > Histonet mailing list > Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu > http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
RE: [Histonet] picric acid
The explosion I witnessed was initiated by a blasting cap. The bomb squad director said it exploded with the force of several sticks of dynamite. If anyone has picric acid still in their lab, exercise GREAT caution. Mark Turner, HT(ASCP) QIHC IHC / Histology Manager 678-319-3321 Direct 770-508-7644 Cell 678-319-1454 mailto:mtur...@csilaboratories.com csilaboratories.com 2580 Westside Parkway Alpharetta, GA 30004 Important Warning: This e-mail is intended for the use of the person to whom it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged and confidential, the disclosure of which is governed by applicable law. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible to deliver it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this information is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately and delete the related e-mail. -Original Message- From: Rene J Buesa [mailto:rjbu...@yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 2:27 PM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu; MargaretPerry Subject: Re: [Histonet] picric acid There have been cases where the rotary valve of VIPs have been damaged after using Bouin's fixative without proper washing. On the other hand I used to keep picric acid but always in saturated solution, which is about 1%. As long as you have water along with the picric acid bottle, there is no problem. René J. --- On Fri, 2/3/12, Perry, Margaret wrote: From: Perry, Margaret Subject: [Histonet] picric acid To: "histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu" Date: Friday, February 3, 2012, 1:50 PM I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services Box 2175 South Dakota State University Brookings SD 57007 605-688-5638 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
There have been cases where the rotary valve of VIPs have been damaged after using Bouin's fixative without proper washing. On the other hand I used to keep picric acid but always in saturated solution, which is about 1%. As long as you have water along with the picric acid bottle, there is no problem. René J. --- On Fri, 2/3/12, Perry, Margaret wrote: From: Perry, Margaret Subject: [Histonet] picric acid To: "histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu" Date: Friday, February 3, 2012, 1:50 PM I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services Box 2175 South Dakota State University Brookings SD 57007 605-688-5638 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
