Shock
Sensitive Chemicals
The classes of chemicals listed below may explode when subjected to
shock or friction. Therefore users must have appropriate laboratory
equipment, information, knowledge and training to use these compounds
safely.
- Acetylenic compounds, especially
polyacetylenes, haloacetylenes, and heavy metal salts of acetylenes
(copper, silver, and mercury salts are particularly sensitive)
- Acyl nitrates
- Alkyl nitrates, particularly polyol nitrates
such as nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine
- Alkyl and acyl nitrites
- Amminemetal oxosalts: metal compounds with
coordinated and hydrazine, or similar nitrogenous donors and ionic
perchlorate, nitrate, permanganate, or other oxidizing group
- Azides, including metal, nonmetal, and organic
azides
- Chlorite salts of metals, such as AgClO2 and
Hg(ClO2)2
- Diazo compounds such as CH2N2
- Diazonium salts, when dry
- Fulminates such as mercury fulminate (Hg(CNO)2)
- Hydrogen peroxide (which becomes increasingly
treacherous as the concentration rises above 30%, forming explosive
mixtures with organic materials and decomposing violently in the
presence of traces of transition metals
- N-Halogen compounds such as difluoroamino
compounds and halogen azides
- N-Nitro compounds such as N-nitromethylamine,
nitrourea, nitroguanidine, and nitric amide
- Oxo salts of nitrogenous bases: perchlorates,
dichromates, nitrates, iodates, chlorites, chlorates, and permanganates
of ammonia, amines, hydroxylamine, guanidine, etc.
- Perchlorate salts (which can form when
perchloric acid mists dry in fume hoods or associated duct work. Most
metal, nonmetal, and amine perchlorates can be detonated and may
undergo violent reaction in contact with combustible materials)
- Peroxides and hydroperoxides, organic
- Peroxides (solid) that crystallize from or are
left from evaporation of peroxidizable solvents (see the following
Section 3)
- Peroxides, transition-metal salts
- Picrates, especially salts of transition and
heavy metals, such as Ni, Pb, Hg, Cu, and Zn
- Polynitroalkyl compounds such as
tetranitromethane and dinitroacetonitrile
- Polynitroaromatic compounds especially
polynitrohydrocarbons, phenols, and amines (e.g., dinitrotoluene,
trinitrotoluene, and picric acid)
Note:
Perchloric acid must be used only in specially-designed perchloric acid
fume hoods that have built-in wash down systems to remove
shock-sensitive deposits. Before purchasing this acid, laboratory
supervisors must arrange for use of an approved perchloric acid hood. |
