I’m dying chat.

Credit: An anonymous labrat friend. Thank you.

  • Godofdirt@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    21 hours ago

    I fought hard to get a solvent extractor at my work. 11k paid for it’s self in no time and almost no chemical disposal fees.

  • gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    Best way to get rid of acetone is what my boss made me and a co-worker do once:

    Toss it onto some metal plates that had been left in 110 degree weather. They were also painted black.

    Did you know that’s enough for acetone to flash-light? We didn’t until that moment, then we had fun

  • sibannac@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    I spent a bunch of time in art classes and learned more practical chemical safety and disposal than my actual chemistry classes.

  • meteorswarm@beehaw.orgEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    I fondly remember my organic chemistry lab professor giving us all a lecture that was something like this:

    “I see that you children have learned how good acetone is at cleaning glassware. And you are correct: it is excellent. However, you cannot pour it down the sink and we have to pay for hazardous waste disposal. So use soap, water, and elbow grease instead.”

  • ornery_chemist@mander.xyzEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    EHS would raise hell if they caught us putting waste solvent in anything but a hazardous waste container…

  • IrritableOcelot@beehaw.orgEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    My favorite overheard undergrad story:

    I was walking past the lecture hall right after an organic chemistry midterm, and there was a cluster of 4-5 students talking about the exam. One asked about question 8b, and another one said “you’re not supposed to mix nitric acid and ethanol, that makes TNT, right?” I had to stifle a chuckle as I walked by.

    So close, and yet so far! Nitrated acetone is explosive, and TNT (trinitrotoluene) is also made with nitric acid, but toluene is a much more complex molecule than acetone. If those undergrads could figure out how to turn acetone into TNT efficiently, they’d get a Nobel!

  • Engywook@lemm.eeEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    Smelling it untill it’s totally evaporated. Even if I much prefer isopropyl alcohol.

  • Phil_in_here@lemmy.caEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    That’s just the natural aging process. Plumbing just gets saggy and wrinkly. Ask any man over 50.

  • riodoro1@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    I did a couple of times pour acetone down the drain but I did run water at full blast at the same time to wash it down immediately. Guess Im slightly smarter then undergrads.

    • MeowZedong@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
      0·
      1 day ago

      Pour it in a proper waste container with a label and hand it over to EHS if in a lab. If not, do what another commenter said and let small amounts evaporate in a well-ventilated place.

      Large volumes are something you should contact local waste disposal about. This usually isn’t free, but sometimes they have certain times of year they’ll take them for free. Large volumes are ~ >1L.

      • MeowZedong@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
        0·
        1 day ago

        Our hoods have a solvent trap at the front in case of large spills, it’s a stainless steel grate covering a large, high surface area secondary steel trap below. Ngl, I pour smaller amounts of pure volatiles in there to evaporate. Usually < 10 mL. Small volumes with dissolved solids get dumped in the glass waste container in the hood to evaporate before disposal too.

        Not the best practice, but the pragmatic approach.

        Larger volumes go to proper waste containers. Local EHS mostly just dilutes things before pouring it down the drain. Not much we can do about that, so I opt for greener solvents from the beginning wherever possible.

      • Duamerthrax@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        1 day ago

        Yeah, I don’t work in a lab, but if I clean something in the shop with Acetone, I leave the rag to dry on the side of the trash can. If I think it’s a lot, I’ll put it outside to evaporate or burn it.