Pyrophoricity
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A substance is pyrophoric (from
Uses
The creation of
Handling
Small amounts of pyrophoric liquids are often supplied in a glass bottle with a
When working with pyrophoric solids, researchers often employ a sealed glove box flushed with inert gas. Since these specialized glove boxes are expensive and require specialized and frequent maintenance, many pyrophoric solids are sold as solutions, or dispersions in mineral oil or lighter hydrocarbon solvents, so they can be handled in the atmosphere of the laboratory, while still maintaining an oxygen- and moisture-free environment. Mildly pyrophoric solids such as lithium aluminium hydride and sodium hydride can be handled in the air for brief periods of time, but the containers must be flushed with inert gas before the material is returned to the container for storage.
Pyrophoric materials
Solids
- White phosphorus
- NaK
- Finely divided metals (iron,[3] aluminium,[3] magnesium,[3] calcium, zirconium,[citation needed] uranium, titanium, tungsten, bismuth, hafnium, thorium, osmium, neodymium)
- Some metals and alloys in bulk form (cerium, plutonium)
- halides(diethylethoxyaluminium, dichloro(methyl)silane)
- Potassium graphite (KC8)
- Metal uranium trihydride)
- Partially or fully alkylated derivatives of metal and nonmetal hydrides (diethylaluminium hydride, trimethylaluminium, triethylaluminium, butyllithium), with a few exceptions (i.e. dimethylmercury and tetraethyllead)
- Copper fuel cell catalysts (zinc oxide, aluminium oxide)[4]
- Grignard reagents (compounds of the form RMgX)
- Used catalysts such as palladium on carbon or Raney nickel(especially hazardous because of the adsorbed hydrogen)
- Iron(II) sulfide: often encountered in oil and gas facilities, where corrosion products in steel plant equipment can ignite if exposed to air
- Lead and carbon powders produced from decomposition of lead citrate[5][6]
- Uranium, as shown in the disintegration of depleted uranium penetrator rounds into burning dust upon impact with their targets; in finely divided form it is readily ignitable, and uranium scrap from machining operations is subject to spontaneous ignition[7]
- Neptunium
- Several compounds of plutonium are pyrophoric, and they cause some of the most serious fires occurring in United States Department of Energy facilities[8]
- Petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) sludge
Liquids
- Diphosphane
- , etc.)
- Triethylborane
- tert-Butyllithium
- Diethylzinc
- Triethylaluminium
- Linseed oil; rags soaked in linseed oil can self-ignite
Gases
Explanatory notes
- ^ Phosphine, PH3 is only pyrophoric if impure, with P2H4 present.
References
- ^ GHS, seventh revised version. https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/danger/publi/ghs/ghs_rev07/English/ST_SG_AC10_30_Rev7e.pdf
- ISBN 9788121205931
- ^ a b c Angelo & Subramanian (2008), Powder metallurgy: science, technology and applications, p. 48,
Powders of aluminium, iron and magnesium are highly pyrophoric in nature
- ^ C.W. Corti et al. / Applied Catalysis A: General 291 (2005) 257
- ^ Pyrophoric lead composition and method of making it
- .
- ^ DOE | Office of Health, Safety and Security | Nuclear Safety and Environment | Uranium Archived 2015-02-21 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 3 September 2013; archived on 24 August 2010.
- ^ DOE | Office of Health, Safety and Security | Nuclear Safety and Environment | Plutonium Archived 2015-02-21 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 3 September 2013; archived on 28 September 2010.
External links
- US Dept. of Energy Handbook, "Primer on Spontaneous Heating and Pyrophoricity" (archived)
- "List of pyrophoric materials". Archived from the original on 2015-07-09.
- "Pyrophoric Chemicals Guide" (PDF). Environmental Health and Safety. University of Minnesota. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2021.