 |
|
ABC of Safety in the Biological Sciences
| Acetic acid | with chromic acid, nitric acid, hydroxyl containing compounds, ethylene glycol, perchloric acid, peroxides and permanganates | |
| Acetic anhydride | with hydroxyl containing compounds, ethylene glycol and perchloric acid | |
| Acetone | with conc. sulphuric and nitric acid mixtures | |
| Acetylene | with copper (tubing), fluorine, bromine, chlorine, iodine, silver, mercury and their compounds | |
| Alkali metals | such as calcium, potassium and sodium with water, carbon dioxide, carbon tetrachloride, and other chlorinated hydrocarbons | |
| Aluminium ammonium sulphate | reacts vigorously with strong bases | |
| Aluminium chloride | reacts violently with water, explosively with strong bases and vigorously with strong oxidisers | |
| Aluminium potassium sulphate | reacts vigorously with strong bases | |
| Aluminium sulphate | forms acids with water | |
| Ammonia, anhydrous | with mercury, halogens, calcium hypochlorite, and hydrogen fluoride | |
| Ammonium chloride | violent explosion with potassium chromate and halogens, explosive with strong bases, organic matter, metals and polymerizable material, vigorous reaction with strong oxidizing agents | |
| Ammonium nitrate | with acids, metal powders, flammable liquids, chlorates, nitrates, sulphur and finely divided organic or combustible material | |
| Ammonium oxalate | reacts violently with sodium hypochlorite and ammonium acetate | |
| Ammonium sulphide | with acids forms toxic hydrogen sulphide | |
| Aniline | possibly explosive reaction with nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide, ozone, chloromelamines, oxidizing agents and mixtures of formaldehyde and perchloric acid | |
| Arsenic trioxide | reacts vigorously with mercury, chlorine and sodium trichloride | |
| Benzoyl peroxide | violent reaction with inorganic and organic acids, alcohols, chloroform, methyl methacrylate, amines and polymerization accelerators | |
| Bismuth subnitrate | with reducing agents and combustible materials | |
| Bromine | explosive reaction with ammonia, acetylene, butadiene, butane, hydrogen, potassium, sodium carbine, turpentine and finely divided metals. Violent reaction with many organic compounds | |
| 1-butanol | vigorous reaction with oxidizing agents and attacks aluminium | |
| Calcium oxide | with water | |
| Carbon, activated | with calcium hypochlorite and all oxidising agents | |
| Carbon tetrachloride | reacts vigorously with fluorine and aluminium and explosively with sodium and potassium metals | |
| Chlorates | with ammonium salts, acids, metal powders, sulphur, finely divided organics or combustibles and carbon | |
| Chlorine | with ammonia, acetylene, butadiene, benzene and other petroleum fractions, hydrogen, sodium carbide, turpentine and finely divided powdered metals | |
| Chlorine dioxide | with ammonia, methane, phosphine, and hydrogen sulphide | |
| Chloroform | explosive with alkaline metals, aluminium and mixtures of strong bases and methanol or other ketones, reaction with strong oxidizing agents release phosgene and chlorine | |
| Chromic acid | with acetic acid, naphthalene, camphor, alcohol, glycerol, turpentine, and other flammable liquids | |
| Chromium oxide | vigorous reaction with glycerol and lithium | |
| Chromium trioxide | with most organic substances, acids, metals, combustibles, halogens and reducing substances | |
| Copper | with acetylene and hydrogen peroxide | |
| Copper sulphate | explosive reaction with acetylene and hydroxylamine | |
| Cyanides | with acids and alkalis | |
| Dichloroethane | with strong oxidizers, aluminium, ketones, ammonia, bases. Peroxides, alkali metals and nitric acid | |
| Dipotassium hydrogen phosphate | violent reaction with acids | |
| Disodium hydrogen orthophosphate | violent reaction with acids | |
| Epoxypropane | with strong oxidizers, metal salts and strong bases | |
| Ethanediol (ethylene glycol) | with strong oxidizers, acids and bases | |
| Ferric chloride | explosive reaction with ethylene oxide | |
| Ferric and ferrous salts | hazardous catalytic reactions with many chemicals | |
| Ferrous sulphate | with alkalis, soluble carbonates, lead acetate, potassium and sodium tartrate and sodium borate | |
| Flammable liquids | with ammonium nitrate, chromic acid, hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid, sodium peroxide and halogens | |
| Fluorine | should be isolated from everything | |
| Formaldehyde | with strong acids, oxidizing agents and alkalis | |
| Glutaraldehyde | with alcohols, ketones and amines | |
| Glycerol | violent reaction with strong oxidizing agents, can be explosive when mixed with nitric acid | |
| Hydrazine | with hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid and other oxidants | |
| Hydrocarbons | with fluorine, chlorine, bromine, chromic acid and sodium peroxide | |
| Hydrochloric acid | should never be stored with alkalis or active metals | |
| Hydrocyanic acid | with nitric acid, and alkalis | |
| Hydrofluoric acid | with ammonia, aqueous or anhydrous | |
| Hydrogen peroxide | with copper, chromium, iron, most metals or their salts, flammable liquids and other combustible materials, aniline and nitromethane | |
| Hydrogen sulphide | with fuming nitric acid and oxidising gases | |
| Iodine | explosive reaction with aluminium, magnesium, zinc, antimony, potassium, fluorine, halogens, carbides, acetylene, ammonia, some metal acetylides and mixtures of copper sulphate/ethanol and phosphorus/ethanol. Violent reaction with pyridine | |
| Iron oxide | violent reaction with aluminium and ethylene oxide | |
| Lead acetate | some reactions can be explosive | |
| Lead nitrate | explosive reaction with ammonium thiocyanate, carbon and lead hypophosphate | |
| Magnesium oxide | violent reaction with fluorochlorides and other halogens | |
| Mercuric chloride | with formates, sulphites, hypophosphites, phosphates, sulphides, albumin, gelatin, alkalis, alkaloid salts, ammonia, lime water, antimony, arsenic, bromides, borax, carbonates, reduced iron, copper, iron, lead and silver salts as highly explosive compounds may be formed | |
| Mercuric oxide | reacts violently with chlorine, hydrazine hydrate, hydrogen peroxide, magnesium, phosphorus, sulphur and reducing materials | |
| Mercury | with acetylene, fulminic acid and hydrogen. | |
| Nitric acid | with acetic, chromic and hydrocyanic acids, aniline, carbon, hydrogen sulphide, fluids or gases and substances that are readily nitrated. Can be explosive with organic materials. Corrodes most metals | |
| Nitroparaffins | with inorganic bases, and amines | |
| Oxalic acid | vigorous reaction with strong bases, alkali metals, acid chlorides and ferric salts. Explosive reaction with silver and mercury | |
| Oxygen | with oils, grease, hydrogen, flammable liquids, solids and gases | |
| Paraformaldehyde | with strong oxidizers and bases, isocyanites, anhydrides, strong acids and reducing agents, brass, steel, bronze, copper and copper alloys | |
| Perchloric acid | may explode or ignite spontaneously. Explosive reaction with acetic anhydride, bismuth and its alloys, alcohol, paper, fluorine, hydriodic acid, nitrogen triiodide, hypophosphites, sodium iodide, wood and other organic materials | |
| Periodic acid | explosive reaction with dimethyl sulphoxide, vigorous reaction with reducing agents | |
| Peroxides, organic | with acids (organic or material), avoid friction and store cold | |
| Phenylhydrazine hydrochloride | violent explosion with lead dioxide | |
| Phosphorus pentoxide | with water | |
| Picric acid | high explosive with metals | |
| Potassium | with glycerine, ethylene glycol, benzaldehyde, sulphuric acid, carbon tetrachloride, carbon dioxide, and water | |
| Potassium bromide | violent reaction with fluorines | |
| Potassium carbonate | violent reaction with fluorochlorides | |
| Potassium chlorate | may react explosively with reducing agents, charcoal, combustible materials, acids, ammonium compounds and finely divided metals | |
| Potassium cyanide | violent reaction with acids and liberates hydrogen cyanide. Explosive with strong oxidants | |
| Potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate | violent reaction with strong bases | |
| Potassium ferricyanide | explosive in high temperature reactions with ammonia | |
| Potassium ferrocyanide | violent reaction with copper nitrate | |
| Potassium hydroxide | violent reaction with acids, metals and organohalogens. Explosive reaction with maleic anhydride and nitro and chloro organic compounds | |
| Potassium iodate | violent reaction with aluminium, arsenic, carbon, copper, metals, sulphides, organic matter, phosphorus and sulphur | |
| potassium metabisulphite | forms toxic gas with acids | |
| Potassium nitrate | vigorous reaction with reducing materials, antimony, arsenic, zinc and their sulphides, sodium acetate, sodium hypophosphate and trichloroethylene | |
| Potassium perchlorate | with acids | |
| Potassium permanganate | reacts violently with concentrated acids and hydrogen peroxide, glycerol, ethylene glycol and benzaldehyde. Explosive reaction with some metals | |
| Pyridine | violent reaction with iodine and sulphur trioxide. Vigorous reaction with oxidizing agents | |
| Silver | with acetylene, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, and ammonium compounds | |
| Resorcin | with strong oxidizing agents, acetanilide, albumin, camphor, ferric salts, menthol and urethane | |
| Sodium | with carbon tetrachloride, carbon dioxide, and water | |
| Sodium azide | this chemical, commonly used as a preservative in clinical laboratories, forms unstable explosive compounds when exposed to lead, copper and other metals. If disposed of by flushing into sinks, the trap can explode when worked upon by a plumber | |
| Sodium borohydride | with oxidizing agents, water, acids, metal salts and combustible materials | |
| Sodium carbonate | violent reaction with phosphorus pentoxide, sulphuric acid, and fluorine. Ignites magnesium and is explosive with hot aluminium | |
| Sodium chromate | explosive reaction with acetic anhydride and hydrazine. Violent reaction with combustible materials, organic compounds and oxidizing agents | |
| Sodium dihydrogen orthophosphate | reacts violently with strong bases | |
| Sodium dithionite | with moisture, oxidizing agents, combustible materials and organic compounds | |
| Sodium hydroxide | can react violently with water and ignite combustible materials. Explosive reaction with nitro and chloro compounds and some metals | |
| Sodium iodate | with reducing agents, combustible materials, aluminium, copper and metal sulphides | |
| Sodium metabisulphite | with acids liberates toxic gas | |
| Sodium nitrate | with combustible materials, reducing agents and strong acids | |
| Sodium nitrite | with ammonium nitrate and other ammonium salts, strong acids and reducing agents, organic materials, cyanides, cellulose, sodium thiosulphate, acetanilide, chlorates, hypophosphite, iodides, mercury salts, permanganate, sulphites and tannic acid | |
| Sodium peroxide | with any oxidisable substance, e.g. methanol, glacial acetic acid, acetic anhydrite, benzaldehyde, carbon disulphide, glycerol, ethylene glycol | |
| Sodium silicate | violent reaction with acids, corrodes aluminium and zinc | |
| Sodium sulphate | violent reaction with aluminium | |
| Sodium sulphite | forms acids with water and steam | |
| Sodium thiosulphate | with acids produces toxic gas | |
| Succinic anhydride | with strong oxidizing agents, water, acids, alcohols and amines | |
| Sulphuric acid | with chlorates, perchlorates, permanganates and water | |
| Tannic acid | with sodium nitrite | |
| Thionyl chloride | reacts explosively with ammonia and dimethyl sulphoxide. With water forms toxic gas | |
| Urea | can be explosive with strong oxidizing agents such as nitric acid, sodium nitrite and hypochlorites | |
| Zinc chloride | violent reaction with potassium and with acids produces toxic gas | |
Table 9: Incompatible Chemicals
BACK to the top
of the Glossary Contents List
BACK to the top of the Chemical
Contents List