Fun with Chemistry: This stuff causes Asbestos to burn....

[Paratus]

Along with:

• Glass
• Pyrex
• Sand
• Spent Charcoal
• Ash
• Concrete
• People

I'm talking about chlorine triflouride
https://www.google.com/amp/gizmodo....-chemical-that-sets-fire-to-as-1715935811/amp

It explodes violently when in contact with water releasing hot hydrofluric and hydrochloric acids. (Hyrdofluric acid passes painlessly at first through your skin by destroying all nerves it contacts. It then settles into your bones and kills you by leaching all the calcium out)

It is a more powerful oxidizer than oxygen which means it will burn without oxygen. CO2 and Halon fire suppression cannot put it out.

As John D Clark in his book about rocket fuels put it:

”It is, of course, extremely toxic, but that’s the least of the problem. It is hypergolic with every known fuel, and so rapidly hypergolic that no ignition delay has ever been measured. It is also hypergolic with such things as cloth, wood, and test engineers, not to mention asbestos, sand, and water-with which it reacts explosively. It can be kept in some of the ordinary structural metals-steel, copper, aluminium, etc.-because of the formation of a thin film of insoluble metal fluoride which protects the bulk of the metal, just as the invisible coat of oxide on aluminium keeps it from burning up in the atmosphere. If, however, this coat is melted or scrubbed off, and has no chance to reform, the operator is confronted with the problem of coping with a metal-fluorine fire. For dealing with this situation, I have always recommended a good pair of running shoes.”

They currently use it for cleaning semiconductors and nuclear fuel processing.

The nazis created it and wanted to use it as a bunker buster against the French.

Damn that's some nasty stuff.

 

[Crono]

Will it set fire to the rain?

 

[MongGrel]

Very nasty.

I imagine White Phosphorous is more managable, although that is technically also a no no in warfare.

 

[Paratus]

Will it set fire to the rain?

Dude it's so reactive it'll burn the rain and make the skyfall

 

[Paratus]

Very nasty.

I imagine White Phosphorous is more managable, although that is technically also a no no in warfare.

Probably.
I think this is one of the most dangerous chemicals to handle. From what I read most chemists have it on their "nope" list.

 

[CraKaJaX]

I hated chemistry through school, but was always a fan of the chemical reaction demo's in the lecture hall that the prof did. There was a bunch. He actually puts on a 'show' during parents weekend. It's made it all the way to the tubez:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lwdm1Dlw2Y&index=7&list=PLE798BAF796B31CB2

 

[Paratus]

I hated chemistry through school, but was always a fan of the chemical reaction demo's in the lecture hall that the prof did. There was a bunch. He actually puts on a 'show' during parents weekend. It's made it all the way to the tubez:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lwdm1Dlw2Y&index=7&list=PLE798BAF796B31CB2

Hey Clarkson. My dad went there.

My chem prof would do the hydrogen balloons too. He'd wait for someone to fall asleep and then set one off.

 

[CraKaJaX]

Hey Clarkson. My dad went there.

My chem prof would do the hydrogen balloons too. He'd wait for someone to fall asleep and then set one off.

Awesome. He prob had Dr Jim too - LOL. It seems like he has been and will be there forever. The dude is in incredible shape for his age.

 

[LevelSea]

Will it melt steel beams?

 

[IronWing]

Will it melt steel beams?

No, but it will corrode them in a vigorous fashion.

 

[FerrelGeek]

Coworker of mine in the 80s went there. Had a high school chem teacher that was great. He did the hydrogen balloon trick on a girl that used to fall asleep a lot. The guy actually looked like the stereotypical mad scientist: tall, skinny, balding, glasses, goatee. Good teacher; learned a lot from him.

Hey Clarkson. My dad went there.

My chem prof would do the hydrogen balloons too. He'd wait for someone to fall asleep and then set one off.

 

[kotss2]

Here is some good sources to read, this chemists 'Things I will not work with list' and the associated blog are quite funny if you like this stuff.
My two favorites are http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_wont_work_with_dioxygen_difluoride
and
http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_save_you_this_time
Fun to read but not necessarily fun to die doing.

 

[IronWing]

ClF3 is used to halogenate steel piping in uranium enrichment plants so that the UF6 doesn't later corrode the pipes. They send a slug of ClF3 down a new section of pipe chased by an inerting agent (I can't recall what that was, probably just freon). The process is done remotely as there is a bit of flame and HF released.


Also, side note: Here's a video of me melting asbestos using a magnifying glass.