Anxiety via Pyrophoricity

A few weeks ago there was an incident at UCLA where a researcher got badly burned using a certain chemical. The week before any knowledge of this news and the day after, I used a similar chemical. There have also been the times where one of the instruments shorted out in front of my nose startling me due to the spark, and an analogous instrument expanding to shatter the glass and then implode on itself - also while standing right in front of it. Seems to me, that my workplace requires attention to what is going on around me, and particularly in front of me.

Needless to say, today when working with a pyrophoric reagent, I was very careful. It all went well, no incidents, but I'm only halfway through. It's drying overnight - but I'm a little uneasy about it just idling away without my supervision. I might not sleep well tonight as a result - how's that for attachment to my work? The procedure will be done tomorrow - preferably before noon so that I'll be mellow for the rest of the afternoon.

It sometimes makes me wonder though what other people think I do. This wonderment comes from the question that I get frequently that is "So, any explosions this week?" said with a twinkle in their eye. Let me assure you, if there's an explosion, it means I'm a hack and messed something up. I hope I'm not the only chemist who gets this question - 'cause if so, the people I know must think that I do not have my act together when it comes to labwork.

Here's to an explosion free Friday.

Comments

Mike said…
So I always get comments like that too, though usually phrased like "don't blow anything up." I always just laugh and nod, and say I'll see what I can do, but really, I'm pretty sure nothing I work with should ever blow up, unless I were to try really hard to make it...which so far I've held off doing.
7:36 AM
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