Renee,

I am indeed interested in your picric acid/acetone source.  Please send the
info.  I think getting rid of picric acid from this lab--even if it's
stored in water-- is a good idea.  

Now, I'm also from the old school of "Make your own solutions", but unlike
you (and many others out there) I still prefer to make most everything I
use.  In this case... I'll pass  *VBG*  

Thanks for your input!

Connie McManus

At 03:23 PM 06/26/2000 -0600, Renee Seiler wrote:
>A picric acid/acetone solution is available from American MasterTech Inc-I
don't have the info now(at home)but can get it to you Tues. if needed.  I
am a tech from the "old school" and have had my fill of "making" solutions,
so I try to buy "store-boughten" stuff when possible!
>----- Original Message -----
>
>From: conmac@cc.usu.edu
>To: RSRICHMOND@aol.com, HistoNet@pathology.swmed.edu
>Subject: picric acid - it does happen
>Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 09:59:57 -0600
>
>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) 
>> 
>> 
> 
>
>
>
>
Connie McManus
Veterinary Diagnostics Lab
Utah State University
Logan, UT
USA