Working with Chemicals

Start by Educating Yourself on Potential Hazards

• Material Safety Data Sheets– http://hazard.com/msds/– U Stores and Receiving should have a copy of

the MSDS for every chemical ever received at the U!

– Grey file cabinet in Physics Stockroom– Difficult to get useful information

• Merck Index– RS51 .M4 2001

• Condensed Chemical Dictionary– QD5 .C5 1981

Purity specifications•6N pure, six nines pure, 4N8

–Typically specified on “metals basis”–Can contain percents of impurities not specified!–Caveat emptor!

•Reagent grade: Specifications in “Reagent Chemicals”, ACS•USP: United States Pharmacopeia•NF: National Formulary•“Food grade”

–Plastic films and containers of food grade quality are made from polycarbonate, polyester or polyethylene. –Their characteristics in terms of density, permeability and strength vary. –To limit permeability to moisture and oxygen, films of the above plastics are sometimes laminated together, frequently with a metallic layer. –Military food packaged in just such a metallized polyester, (Mylar) polyethylene wrap has a long shelf life (5+ years) if kept cool. –http://www.survival-center.com/foodfaq/ff17-equ.htm#FG

Labeling of Containers

• Required of any container out of your immediate control

• Do so as to be “solvent-proof”, mostly Sharpie and Scotch tape. (Trick of folding over the end of a piece of tape that you want to remove later...not appropriate here, but often useful.)

• Why wash bottles have a hole in them. Demo with a heat gun. Fire in hood at NREL.

Disposal requirements

• Hazardous waste– How do you know if your waste is hazardous?– For inorganics, the EM Science catalog is wonderful– For organics, try EM Science– Check the MSDS. (Typically worthless.)– Contact EHS – Procedure for collecting and disposing of hazardous waste

• Collect in approved containers (the 2.5 gal. “HedPaks” in the Stockroom)

• Keep a record of what you put in• When full, complete the collection form on the EHS website:

utahehs.org...forms...Hazardous materials online pickup request• Alternatively, let the OEML staff handle it.

• Non-hazardous waste– Down the sink

Storing Chemicals

• Short term– Every container that is not under your physical control

must be labeled.– Writing on the container with a Sharpie is fine.

• Long term– Any container left unattended for more than a few

hours needs to be labeled with the following.• A label written with Sharpie covered with scotch tape is

sufficient.• Contents (chemical composition)• Owner’s name and location/contact information.• Date filled or purchased.• Expiration date, if appropriate. This could be a date after

which the contents may be safely disposed of if the owner loses interest.

Storage Containers

• Obviously the container must be chemically compatible with the contents. Containers for volatile irritants, corrosives or toxic materials must seal the vapors inside.

• ChemStock will only sell you chemicals in glass bottles if you take over a special carrier. Several of these carriers are available for loan from the OEML. 328 JFB, on top of the acid cabinet.

Storage Locations

• Do not store together chemicals that can react with each other, e.g. alkali metals and water

• For details, see Appendix E of the Department Safety Manual

Shipping regulations

• Only a trained, certified Hazardous Materials Shipper may sign a Hazardous Materials Bill of Lading.

• To a reasonable approximation, only a trained, certified Hazardous Materials Shipper can figure out if the material you want to ship, in the quantity you ship, is classified as hazardous.

• At this time Matt DeLong and Wayne Wingert are the only certified Hazardous Materials Shippers in the Department. There are very few on campus.