[NHCOLL-L:4048] Fwd: [H&S] Fwd: Safe disposal of picric acid

[CAHawks at aol.com]

Catharine Hawks
Conservator
2419 Barbour Road
Falls Church  VA 22043-3026 USA
t/f 703.876.9272  

 
  
____________________________________
 From: BallardM at si.edu
Reply-to: aic-health at lists.stanford.edu
To:  aic-health at lists.stanford.edu
Sent: 10/29/2008 9:58:15 A.M. Eastern  Daylight Time
Subj: Re: [H&S] Fwd: [NHCOLL-L:4037] Safe disposal of  picric acid



Common name: Picric  Acid 
Color Index Name Acid  Yellow (no number) 
C.I. Constitution  Number: 10305  
Discovered by Woulfe,  1771. 
Solubility: sparingly  soluble in water (yellow); readily soluble in ethanol. 
  
Toxicity information  From NISax et al. Dangerous Properties of Industrial 
Materials 6th  ed. 1984  
Can cause allergic  irritation as well as dermatitis. Sympoms of systematic 
poisoning are nausea,  vomiting, diarrhea, yellow discoloration of skin & 
convulsions, as well as  stupor, skin eruptions, anemia, abdominal pain and  
oligeria 
Explosion hazard:  dangerous when shocked or exposed to heat. Keep out of 
contact with metals.  Forms unstable salts with concrete, ammonia and bases. 
Picric acid is a more  powerful explosive than TNT. 
Disaster hazard:  highly dangerous, shock will explode it on decomposition it 
emits highly toxic  fumes and explodes. Can react vigorously with reducing 
materials.   
If you want to know  what it looks like it’s 2,4,6 trinitrophenol. 
 
Mary W.  Ballard 
Senior Textiles  Conservator, 
Museum Conservation  Institute, Smithsonian Institution 
4210 Silver Hill  Road,  Suitland MD 20746 U.S.A. 
tel: 301-238-1210  fax: 301-238-3709  
email _ballardm at si.edu_ (mailto:ballardm at si.edu) 
 
  
____________________________________
 
From:  aic-health-bounces at lists.stanford.edu  
[mailto:aic-health-bounces at lists.stanford.edu] On Behalf Of CAHawks at aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 9:22  PM
To:  aic-health at lists.Stanford.edu
Subject: [H&S] Fwd: [NHCOLL-L:4037]  Safe disposal of picric acid
 

 

 
Catharine  Hawks
Conservator
2419  Barbour Road
Falls Church VA  22043-3026 USA
t/f 703.876.9272   
 

 
 
  
____________________________________
 
From:  Morris.Robert at saugov.sa.gov.au
To: NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
Sent:  10/28/2008 3:52:59 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: [NHCOLL-L:4037] Safe  disposal of picric acid
 

 
Dear  All, 
We have a number  of Helminth specimens housed in picric acid solution that 
we would like to  rebottle and store in a less volatile medium. The specimens 
remain in  solution but are housed in old food jars with metal lids. This 
really is an  OHS no no and one we need to address before the safety auditors land 
on our  doorsteps.  Although reasonably stable if left alone, our fear is that 
 by trying to unscrew the metal lids we may ignite the crystalline form that  
may have formed on the underside of the lids.  
One thought would  be to immerse the jars in a water tank and allow them to 
slowly fill with  water before attempting to unscrew the lids. Has anyone 
encountered this  problem and if so what methods did you adopt to safely extract 
specimens  from picric acid solution? 
Any advice would  be appreciated 
Robert Morris 
Head of Collections 
South Australian Museum 
North Terrace, Adelaide SA  5000 
Tel. +61 (0)8 82077455, Fax. +61 (0)8  82077222 
_www.samuseum.sa.gov.au_ (http://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/)  
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