Due to family death, I am in over my head!!!

[crystalemmaava]

Sorry to bug but as we are sorting everything out we have now come to the amassed collection of chemicals. As he was a chemist while in the Army, and given his love or experimenting, there is quite the array and its way beyond any chemistry I took 10 years ago in high school...lol...

So here is whatbwe have found so far...I am hoping someone will either need something or can tell me if there are any unsafe ones and were to take them for disposal if needed.

Thanks so much for all of the help!

Chemicals:


Sodium polyacrylate
Carbon, activated powder
Carbon, aivfloat
Magnesium oxide
Silica gel
Slurry thickener
Copper powder
Aluminum powder
Calcium chloride
Mercury
Sodium dichromate
Sodium hydroxide
Potassium nitrate
Silicon elemental aluminum oxide
Ferric sulfate
Tin shot
Antimony metal powder
Stannous chloride anhydros
High vacuum grease
Red copper oxide
Bismuth metal
Cobalt

Any info, guidance or need of will be greatly appreciated!!


Crystal

 

[butcher]

Crystal,
Pretty name.
(That is my daughters name also).

Besides mercury which is considered a hazmat material ( I learned the hard way since being on the forum a that a hazmat material is not just something that what we cannot put in the trash, and have to dispose of in certain ways), do not store the mercury in your house, keep a layer of water over the metal and good fitting lid (it is a good idea to put the container you have it in into another outer container like a sealed bag or plastic tub, you will not be able to ship mercury.

The oxide metal powders if finely divided can pose some dangers under certain conditions, but nothing sticks out as particularly dangerous if stored properly, although others here on the forum may see something I do not here.

Keep the oxidizers like the nitrate salt and dichromate separate from the metal oxides, also depending on how finely divided the metals oxides are they can have dangers.

http://www.ehs.pitt.edu/assets/docs/combustible-metals.pdf.

Some of those chemicals are used by many of us here on the forum, so if you do not need them a member close to you may be able to take them off your hands, some can be shipped, but you will need to check out the regulations on the chemical well before doing so, a person can get into a lot of hot water shipping a chemical nowadays without knowing all the rules.

May be one of our chemist can chime in and give you better advice thn I can.

 

[Geo]

i see a few problematic compounds there. most are benign. Sodium polyacrylate is used to make water gel to put plants in for decoration (it can be colored with food coloring) and is the absorbent in baby diapers.
Carbon, activated powder is benign.
Carbon, aivfloat is benign.
Magnesium oxide is a slight mucous membrane irritant. non-toxic.
Silica gel is non-toxic moisture absorbent found inside the little packs when buying electronics that says "do not eat" (HEY, a dvd player and a pack of Chiclets).
Slurry thickener unsure, could be any number of chemicals or compounds used to thicken a liquid. an example would be starch. best to send to chemical dump.
Copper powder benign.
Aluminum powder benign.
Calcium chloride is used for many products including de-icer and as a food additive. mostly benign.slight irritant to mucous glands.
Mercury highly toxic WARNING : handle with care. never touch mercury with your bare hands. mercury can be absorbed through the skin.
sodium dichromate toxic, known carcinogen.absorbed through the skin and inhaled as airborne pollutant. http://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics1369.htm
Sodium hydroxide strong base.do not handle with bare hands. other names (lye,caustic soda) toxic.
Potassium nitrate strong oxidizer. used mainly as a fertalizer it is also found in fireworks and gunpowder. other names (saltpetre and nitrate of potash)
Silicon elemental aluminum oxide benign, used as the abrasive in most sand paper.
Ferric sulfate iron sulfate
Ferric sulfate an example of slurry thickener. used to consolidate chemical waste.
Tin shot benign.
Antimony metal powder irritant to all mucous glands. causes pulmonary edema if inhaled.
Stannous chloride anhydros solution of tin dissolved in hcl. strong reducing agent.used tn testing solutions for the presence of precious metals.
High vacuum grease mostly benign. do not apply to eyes.
Red copper oxide mostly benign. used as pigment and fungicide. copper is considered toxic in very high doses.
Bismuth metal used as pigment and in pharmaceuticals (pepto-bismol) extremely low toxicity for a heavy metal.considered benign.
Cobalt essential element for the human body. used primarily for its blue pigment. for a 200 pound human, a lethal dose is 20g.

 

[MysticColby]

do not apply to eyes.

it's good to mention these things

 

[srlaulis]

Crystal,

I think I talked to your husband on EBay when I came across some stuff he was selling. Is he Matthew? If so, I'm glad you guys decided to check out this forum.

Steven