From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: ether hazards
Message-ID: <1990Oct28.040604.10001@zoo.toronto.edu>
Date: 28 Oct 90 04:06:04 GMT

In article <14264@smoke.brl.mil> gwyn@smoke.brl.mil (Doug Gwyn) writes:
>Another warning:  When I was an active chemical experimenter as a lad,
>my father (a chemical engineer) got extremely freaked out when he found
>out that I had an old can of ether sitting around.  Apparently, ether
>(perhaps after exposure to air) can suddenly decide to explode -- I
>don't recall the details...

When exposed to oxygen -- even just the air above the liquid in a bottle --
ether reacts slowly to form peroxides.  (The simplest form is just addition
of another oxygen, turning the -O- link in the middle to -O-O-, but it gets
messier after that.)  Ether peroxides are extremely dangerous explosives,
powerful and touchy.  They are notorious for forming in places like cap
threads on bottles and cans.  They are also notorious for explosions in
distillation procedures, since the ether boils off and concentrates even
the slightest traces of peroxides, which then heat up after the last of
the ether is gone... recommended practice is never to distill ether
solutions all the way to dryness, as I recall.

The reason why you normally get ether in cans rather than bottles is that
the peroxide reaction is encouraged by light.  The cans normally have
hermetic seals and the contents should be used soon after opening.

I recall reading an account of a university chem lab that ran an inventory
of its stores, and found a bottle of ether whose label claimed it was
distilled in the 40s.  Lots of beautiful clear peroxide crystals in it.
They evacuated the building and called in the bomb squad.  A robot was
used to very gently carry it out to an isolated area, where a rifle bullet
produced a spectacular explosion.
--
"I don't *want* to be normal!"         | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
"Not to worry."                        |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry

From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: ether hazards
Message-ID: <1990Oct29.171511.17987@zoo.toronto.edu>
Date: 29 Oct 90 17:15:11 GMT

In article <1990Oct29.073016.4042@hayes.ims.alaska.edu> fskjk1@acad3.fai.alaska.edu writes:
>>The reason why you normally get ether in cans rather than bottles is that
>>the peroxide reaction is encouraged by light.  The cans normally have
>>hermetic seals and the contents should be used soon after opening.
>
>Don't you have this backwards? if the reaction is encouraged by light, it
>seems like the can would be safer...

The two sentences are expressing two separate ideas, not one.  It being
encouraged by light, cans are safer (sentence #1).  Even with cans,
hermetic seals and rapid use are in order (sentence #2).
--
"I don't *want* to be normal!"         | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
"Not to worry."                        |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry