The Most Toxic Chemical You've Handled

[Doclector]

Hydrochloric acid. Probably quite diluted, but it terrified me. The thought of being partially melted...eugh.

As for toxic, I'm not sure. I don't remember many of the chemicals I used in science, but I know practically all of them made me temporarily OCD, with triple hand washes being required before I even thought of having lunch.

 

[Doclector]

Ebola Virus samples.

that was a terrifying day.

Holy f***ing crap. I remember when we were shown outbreak and told the fictional virus montabu was based on Ebola, that it melted people inside, it made me terrified of outbreaks for ages. So you handled the virus that, if you released it, would slowly and painfully kill you and then go on to destroy the entire known world? How the bloody hell did that happen?

 

[Dags90]

I believe the worst thing I ever played with in Chemistry was Phosphorus pentachloride, or PCl5, whilst I've probably handled worse in Chemistry, I remember that one because the Chem teacher gave us a very specific, very graphic warning about it and it never left the confines of the glass-faced containment thing that I can't remember the name of (Had filtered airvents and such).

A chemical hood? Our old labs didn't use to have them (talk about ghetto) so the room would always smell of various organic compounds. Ick.

Hydrofluoric Acid. One of the strongest acids known to man.

Actually, hydrofluoric acid is considered a weak Bronsted acid, the only one of the hydrogen-halides to be considered that. It's danger is related to the fact that it's a weak acid.

 

[Hashime]

I work as a "Student Chemical Technician" (Read: slave labor, I have mandatory co-op at university. I get paid, but not well)

My toxic substance experience includes:

-Detoxifying Cyndie waste / cynidated ore material. (Several 200L drums, so enough to kill about 200 000 people)

-HF, ooh yeah, this stuff scares the crap out of me. I was using it in a leaching process with high purity silicon. They do NOT let undergrads use HF at my school. I switched off that (work) project as soon as I could.

-HCl, conc. Lots of it(10-13 litres for a leach). HCl is really not that bad. You just need a respirator / fume hood. The reason why undergrads are allowed to use HCl is that even if you get conc. on your skin you will be uninjured as long as you wash it off quickly. (from experience)

-Other strong acids in lab use amounts

-NaOH a.k.a. Caustic. I use it in an alkaline scrubber. When leaching with large amounts of HCl you need to remove the fumes before discharge.

-Potassium Xanthanate. Beautiful compound, it stinks in a way I cannot describe, and it's fumes will kill you. Also other floatation extractants. Most are proprietary, but all are pretty toxic. (on the upside I was doing gold extraction, again pilot plant scale)

-HCl (as a gas), again, leaching.

-Various SX extractants. If you know what I am talking about, you know what I mean. I am allergic to one called Alamine 336, and I use it every day (pilot scale).

-Silicon. Silicon is pretty inert, but not at 2000C (Here is a melt I took a sample in: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar1zNi80aTA. Just a note, the film work is bad, but that is because the guy filming had never used my camera before)

-Uranium ore. Low grade, but still. (by the way, the radioactive material handling course is fun

-Arsenic: There used to be a gallium purification plant where I work (they rented space) guess who had to deal with some of the waste.

More to come in the future too. I am a nano-engineering student, so I will be exposed to new forms of toxic.

 

[Hashime]

Dunno if anyone has already pulled this dick move (too many posts now to sift through) but I have to say that dangerous and toxic aren't interchangeable. Toxic is stuff like brevitoxin which is harmful through ingestion. Liquid nitrogen is an asphyxant when it vapourises back into nitrogen simply because it will stop you from taking up oxygen (like how carbon monoxide is), and explosives and napalm... well...
That's not to say that all explosives and asphyxants are non-toxic, but water and nitrogen, regardless of physical state, is non-toxic. The incredibly low temperature of liquid nitrogen is the only danger with it really... Nitrogen under standard conditions is basically inert, so therefore couldn't be toxic. The low temperature is a nightmare though, I can corroborate this due to the large burns I sustained when some prick spilled about half a litre of it over me by barging the tank while I was using it (you can still just about make out the scars several months on). Water... well, considering a massive amount of it is found in the body, we'd be pretty boned if it was toxic (to an appreciable level... given enough of anything you'd probably die).

Everyday toxicity can be found with nicotine, as has been mentioned, as well as stuff as commonplace as chocolate. Chocolate can lead to severe toxic damage to the nervous system, and death, but for humans this would take in excess of 20lbs. Nicotine, in a volume to form a barely visible droplet, dripped onto the tongue, is sufficient to kill an adult. It ranks alongside tetrodotoxin (and other animal venoms) and brevitoxin as one of the most toxic natural products. Also, any heavy metals, unless sufficiently chelated (bound) will do massive damage, such as gadolinium (3+ ion) used in MRI contrast agents.

Sorry... just finished the third year of a 4 years masters chemistry degree this afternoon with a synoptic exam... I'm reeling off so much chemistry to any situation at the moment, so I'm sorry

How good is your organic? I am stuck on a problem (not school related, just bugging me) and could use a more expert opinion.

 

[s0m3th1ng]

I once walked through a meth house so yeah...that entire place.

 

[Sight Unseen]

Easy. Sodium Dichromate.

http://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/21195.htm

Spoiler

Danger! Toxic if swallowed. Toxic if inhaled. Danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure through inhalation. Causes burns by all exposure routes. Harmful if absorbed through the skin. May impair fertility. May cause harm to the unborn child. Cancer hazard. Toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment. Contact with other material may cause fire. May cause heritable genetic damage. May cause sensitization by inhalation and by skin contact.
Target Organs: Blood, kidneys, heart, lungs, respiratory system, eyes, skin, bladder, ureter.


Potential Health Effects
Eye: Causes eye burns. Contact with eyes may cause severe irritation, and possible eye burns. May cause redness, pain, blurred vision and possible eye damage.
Skin: Harmful if absorbed through the skin. Causes skin burns. May cause skin sensitization, an allergic reaction, which becomes evident upon re-exposure to this material. May cause 'chrome ulcers' which causes ulceration of the skin, especially if the skin is
Ingestion: Poison by ingestion. Causes gastrointestinal tract burns. May cause kidney damage. May cause severe gastrointestinal tract irritation with nausea, vomiting and possible burns.
Inhalation: May cause allergic respiratory reaction. May cause liver and kidney damage. Causes chemical burns to the respiratory tract. Excessive inhalation may cause minor respiratory irritation. Inhalation may be fatal as a result of spasm, inflammation, edema of the larynx and bronchi, chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary edema. Toxic if inhaled. May cause burning sensation, coughing, wheezing, laryngitis, shortness of breath, headache, nausea, and vomiting.
Chronic: Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause sensitization dermatitis and possible destruction and/or ulceration. Prolonged or repeated exposure may lead to asthma and perforation of the nasal septum. May cause respiratory tract cancer. May cause liver and kidney damage. Chronic inhalation may cause nasal septum ulceration and perforation. May cause cancer in humans. May alter genetic material. May impair fertility.

Yeah

 

[Dags90]

How good is your organic? I am stuck on a problem (not school related, just bugging me) and could use a more expert opinion.

What kind of organic problem is it? Mechanism, synthesis, spectroscopy?(Please don't say spectroscopy)

 

[NellNell]

Mercury. Me and my dad would break open thermometers and just kinda play with it.

 

[Davey Woo]

By toxic do you mean the actual scientific term for toxic, or just dangerous chemicals in general?

I've breathed in a (small) gulp of pure ethanol (may well have been something else I cannot remember) in a Science lesson once when the apparatus I was using fell apart and the gas leaked out and went straight up my nose.
I've held vials containing various different acids and other chemicals that are extremely corrosive or irritant.
I'm not sure if I've held anything that is specifically 'toxic' but I can barely remember when I used to do science at school so.

 

[Hashime]

How good is your organic? I am stuck on a problem (not school related, just bugging me) and could use a more expert opinion.

What kind of organic problem is it? Mechanism, synthesis, spectroscopy?(Please don't say spectroscopy)

More of a physical problem. I want to know how peroxide would degrade this organic. I have a theory and mechanism drawn out, but would like an second look. We know that peroxide has degraded the organic somehow, and everyone else does not care, but it is bugging me.

I only have only completed one organic course, so my knowledge is limited.

 

[Dags90]

More of a physical problem. I want to know how peroxide would degrade this organic. I have a theory and mechanism drawn out, but would like an second look. We know that peroxide has degraded the organic somehow, and everyone else does not care, but it is bugging me.
http://www.chemicalbook.com/CAS%5CGIF%5C1116-76-3.gif[img]
I only have only completed one organic course, so my knowledge is limited.[/QUOTE]
Should make an amine oxide, I think.

 

[Aetera]

I accidentally touched a copy of Twilight once. Does that count?

 

[chuckman1]

Does meth count? (I didn't do it but my dad did.)

 

[tsb247]

I deal with silver iodide on a regular basis at work. It's a common waste product of developing photographs. I have also handled a number of strong acids in chemistry classes in years gone by. I have also handled trace amounts of tritium and I have been exposed to chlorine gas. The chlorine was unpleasant to say the least. The students next to me mixed their chemicals in the wrong order and nearly mustard-gassed half the building. I have also grown highly acidic crystals. I will see if I can hunt down the photo. We were supposed to get small crystalline deposites in our beakers, but my partner and I were just cooler than everyone else. We got a single perfect crystal!

EDIT: I found the picture!!! Isn't it awesome?

 

[FarleShadow]

glass-faced containment thing that I can't remember the name of (Had filtered airvents and such).

A chemical hood? Our old labs didn't use to have them (talk about ghetto) so the room would always smell of various organic compounds. Ick.

Fume cupboard!

Although this was an older lab anyway, so anytime you spilt even water on the desks you got that 'mmm, musty chemicals' smell. Fresh!

I accidentally touched a copy of Twilight once. Does that count?

REPORT IMMEDIATELY FOR DECONTAMINATION.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Good ol' sodium. That shit was fun.