If you are using BPO for catalyzing GMA resin, then pre-weigh aliquots
for your usual "batches" of resin, add a drop of water to each aliquot
and store at 4C. The water will not affect the GMA, but BPO is supposed
to be less likely to explode if kept a little moist and cold. If you
can't do that, at least store the BPO in small amounts at 4C.
 After dealing with similar BPO storage concerns in our lab, we decided
to switch to LR White. 

Jeffrey Crews, HTL (ASCP)
Organogenesis, INc.

On Mon, 26 Jun 2000 09:59:57 -0600 Connie McManus <conmac@cc.usu.edu>
writes:
>Dr Bob, 
>
>thanks for this informative new clip.  I keep my picric acid in very 
>small
>quantities (approx. 50 g) with enough water to cover the top.  The 
>only
>thing I use this for is the Picric Acid/ Acetone solution in my gram 
>stain,
>so it doesn't matter that the PA is wet.  
>
>This brings me to another question... I have benzoyl peroxide in my 
>lab and
>I am very concerned with the best way to store it as it is another 
>very
>explosive chemical.  When I worked at Ohio State University, I had a 
>BPO
>explosion in my lab.  I was drying 0.5g in the oven (35 C), but 
>instead of
>putting it on the rack, I made the blunder of putting it directly on 
>the
>bottom of the oven.  I left the lab for  a minute.  When I came back, 
>the
>oven door was open and blue smoke was wafting out (it had just 
>happened
>milliseconds before I came into the lab).  This caused all sorts of
>excitement... the campus fire dept. came, all the employees had to 
>leave
>the building and my favorite, the firement tried to get into my lab 
>by
>chopping it with their handy axe.  Luckily, I was able to stop them 
>and
>open the door with my key.  So, in order to prevent history from 
>repeating
>itself, if anyone has suggestions on the best way to store BPO, I 
>would
>love to hear from you.   Right now, I keep some in my fume hood in a
>ceramic dish with a large glass petri dish cover over it.  The fume 
>hood
>sash is always kept closed... I figure if it blows, the fumes & smoke 
>will
>at least be vented out.   
>
>Thanks in advance for your helpful suggestions!  
>
>Connie McManus
>Veterinary Daignostics Lab
>Utah State University
>Logan, Utah
>USA
>
>At 01:25 PM 06/24/2000 -0400, RSRICHMOND@aol.com wrote:
>>The following story appeared in this morning's Knoxville TN 
>News-Sentinel 
>>(June 24th, 2000):
>>
>>'Mouse House' Operations Resume
>>
>>Operations returned to normal Friday at Oak Ridge National 
>Laboratory's
>Mouse 
>>House a day after two bottles of potentially explosive picric acid 
>were 
>>removed and disposed of, officials said.
>>
>>About 70 employees at the research facility were told to stay home 
>Thursday 
>>because safety concerns were raised during a chemical inventory.
>>
>>"This was all a safety precaution," said Marty Goolsby, a laboratory 
>
>>spokeswoman.
>>
>>Gollsby said acid in the bottles had crystallized and dried, making 
>it 
>>shock-sensitive and potentially hazardous. The Mouse House, which is 
>inside 
>>the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, houses thousands of specially bred 
>mice for 
>>genetic experiments. Only a few personnel were allowed inside the 
>facility 
>>Thursday to feed the mice and do essential maintenance.
>>
>>Bob Richmond
>>Samurai Pathologist
>>Knoxville TN (near Oak Ridge)
>>
>>
>

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