Author Topic: mercury fell into the flask...  (Read 1219 times)

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endo1

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mercury fell into the flask...
« on: March 07, 2004, 06:14:00 AM »
Mercury fell in to a flask full of raw, warm mdp2p when setting up for distillation (broken thermometer). I don't see it in there though is it miscible? Can I just distill it out?

Novice

  • Guest
Have you tried pouring the contents of the...
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2004, 10:14:00 AM »
Have you tried pouring the contents of the flask into a separatory funnel?

The mercury should settle on the bottom unless it has reacted with something.

ApprenticeCook

  • Guest
mercury
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2004, 01:02:00 AM »
Raw? as in not distilled? ahhh well it depends on which way you made your ketone, ie what other remanent stuff is in there from the last reaction possible reaction with mercury. As far as swim knows mdp2p will just seperate from the mercury and you can just use a sep funnel to drain it out.

Organikum

  • Guest
Just distill the MDP2P as usual - the mercury...
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2004, 04:01:00 AM »
Just distill the MDP2P as usual - the mercury wont come over during distillation. Also mercury-compounds so formed, wont distill over and if, you will get rid of them in the usual worup after the Al/Hg alylation. No reason to worry.
Discard the residue of the distillation in an environmental responsible way, say best is to bring it to some waste station, if not possible discard it down the drain and dont bury it somewhere.


abolt

  • Guest
?
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2004, 07:09:00 PM »
Does anyone have any ideas on the fumes that escape a condenser from an AL/HG, at reflux.

Would these fumes contains any appreciable amounts of HG?


ApprenticeCook

  • Guest
Hg Fumes
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2004, 09:24:00 PM »

Would these fumes contains any appreciable amounts of HG?


Probably not but as a rule of thumb in swims dream a well working fan (above head extractor, or pedestal fan) is employed to blow away anything which is possibly exuded from the apparatus out the door/window.
Dont think any Hg would become gaseous in the conditions of the reaction, nor survive the reflux condenser.

Just out of safety’s sake, use the fan anyway, its a solution to a common problem in clandestine labs.


Organikum

  • Guest
The boiling point of mercury is about 357°C.
« Reply #6 on: March 10, 2004, 03:54:00 AM »
The boiling point of mercury is about 357°C.


hypo

  • Guest
excuse me?
« Reply #7 on: March 10, 2004, 04:00:00 AM »
mercury fell in a flask with MDP2P and you can't see it?
it probably was a mercury free alcohol thermometer.


gsus

  • Guest
mercury vapor
« Reply #8 on: March 10, 2004, 05:07:00 PM »
and if it was a Hg thermometer? if Hg came out and its not in the flask then its somewhere else. google "mercury thermometer hot stove" for a cautionary example.
  before i was aware of the vaporization of Hg at RT (teen) i was exposed to it for a time and can attest to its effect. take it seriously.
  CRC gives a similar vapor pressure, ~12mm, for Hg at 190C and EtOH at 0C.
  it certainly has some volatility well below its boiling point, though of course i agree with earlier posts regarding Hg not leaving the flask in typical Hg/Al rxs.