Safe handling of special chemical hazards

Acetonitrile

Toxic. Avoid contact with skin and eyes. Use effective fume removal device.

Benzene

Toxic. Highly flammable. Avoid  contact with  skin. Do not breathe vapours. Use effective fume removal device. Decomposes violently in presence of strong oxidizing agents. Reacts violently with Cl . Considered to be carcinogenic.

Acetone

Highly  flammable. Forms explosive peroxides  with  oxidizing  agents. Use effective fume removal device.

Bromine and chlorine

Hazardous with NH , H , petroleum gases, turpentine, benzene and metal powders. Extremely corrosive. Use effective fume removal device. Protect skin against exposure.

Carbon tetrachloride

Reacts violently with alkali metals. Toxic. Fumes may decompose to phosgene when heated strongly. Use effective fume removal device.

Chloroform

Can be harmful if inhaled. Forms phosgene when heated to decomposition. Use effective fume removal device. Can react explosively with  Al, Li, Mg, Na, K, N O and NaOH plus methanol.

Cyclohexane

Highly flammable. Use effective fume removal device. Can react vigorously  with  strong oxidizing agents.

Diethyl ether

Store protected from light. Extremely flammable. Unstable peroxides can form upon long standing or exposure to sunlight in bottles. Can react explosively when in contact with Cl , O , Li, Al, H or strong oxidizing agents. Use effective fume removal device. Avoid static electricity.

Ethanol

Flammable. Use effective fume removal device when heating or evaporating.

Hydrogen sulfides

Hazardous with oxidizing gases, fuming HNO and Na O . Forms explosive mixtures with air.

Toxic. Use effective fume removal device.

Hexane

Highly flammable. Use effective fume removal device.

Methanol

Flammable. Toxic. Avoid  contact with  eyes. Avoid  breathing vapours. Use effective fume removal  device.  Can react  vigorously  with  NaOH plus  CHCI ,  and  KOH plus  CHCl or HCIO . 

Oxidizers

(Perchlorates, peroxides, permanganates, persulfates, perborates, nitrates, chlorates, chlorites, bromates, iodates, concentrated H SO , Concentrated HNO , CrO .) Can react violently with most metal powders, NH , and ammonium salts, P, many finely divided organic compounds, flammable liquids, acids and S. Use exactly as specified in method. Handle in effective fume removal device from behind explosion-resistant barrier. Use face shield.

Peroxides

Hydrogen Peroxide: 30% strength is hazardous; can cause severe burns. Drying H O  on organic material such as paper or cloth can lead to spontaneous combustion. Cu, Fe, Cr, other metals and their salts cause rapid catalytic decomposition  of H O . Hazardous with flammable liquids, aniline and nitrobenzene. Since it slowly decompose with evolution of O , provide stored H O with vent caps. Wear gloves and eye protection when handling. Either peroxides -These peroxides form  in diethyl ether, dioxane and other ethers during storage. They are explosive and must be destroyed chemically before distillation or evaporation. Exposure to light influences peroxide formation  in ethers.   Filtration through activated alumina is reported  to  be effective in  removing  peroxides. Store over sodium ribbon to retard peroxide formation.

Petroleum ether

Extremely flammable. Use effective fume removal device. Avoid static electricity.

 Silver nitrate (AgNO )

Powerful oxidizing agent; strongly corrosive. Dust or solid form is hazardous to eyes. Handle as noted for oxidizers.

Permanganate

Moderately  toxic.  Readily soluble in  water.  Strong  oxidizing  agent. May  form  explosive mixture  with  H SO or  HClO . When using with  strong  acids to  destroy organic matter, perform reaction behind safety barrier.

Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins should be handled as very toxic substances. Perform manipulations under hood whenever possible. All  mycotoxins  are potential health hazard in one way or  the other, Aflatoxin B is a highly carcinogenic substance and shall therefore be handled very carefully. Do not transfer dry aflatoxin for weighing or other purposes unless facilities (e.g., glove box) are available to prevent dissemination of aflatoxin to surroundings due to electrostatic charge on particles. Rinse all glassware exposed to aflatoxin carefully with chloroform, then with solution of NaOCl bleach (5% v/v solution in water) and then wash thoroughly. Swab accidental spills of aflatoxins with the solution of NaOCl bleach.