ASK:

In the fourth year of college, I did my graduation project and used methanol as a solvent. Seven or eight people in the lab use a lot of methanol every day. There are fume hoods, but they are full of other instruments, so when you use methanol, you just take them around. There are lab coats, eyewashes, desktop eyewashes, gloves, activated carbon masks, and no goggles. The faucet for rinsing the eyes is so dirty that no one has ever used it. Senior brothers are used to it, and they all say that it’s okay, pay attention to yourself. Methanol is such a volatile liquid, isn’t it necessary to inhale a lot of methanol every day? And what if it accidentally splashes into your eyes?

ANSWER:

1. In the chemistry laboratory, goggles are a must.

Even solvents, which are the most commonly used petroleum ether acetone, are uncomfortable enough to enter the eyes, not to mention the various toxic and corrosive substances in organic laboratories, which can cause damage to the eyes. As well as the crow’s mouth, it is not good to say which reaction suddenly exploded, and the goggles can save your eyes.

Even if there is only a 1 in 10 million chance that danger will happen, as long as it happens to you, it is 100% for you.

In fact, many precautions and regulations in the laboratory are set for this. Not only is it less likely to happen, but it’s also about the damage you receive when the accident does come.

2. Methanol itself is a negligible option for toxicity in organic laboratories, but no matter how low the toxicity solvent, long-term absorption will definitely cause problems.

Don’t listen to your brothers, reduce the amount of methanol you absorb yourself as much as possible, and dispose of volatile things in a fume hood as much as possible.

And I would like to ask, in addition to the fume hood, do you have an overall ventilation system in your laboratory? If not, try to open the doors and windows to maintain ventilation, and minimize the time in the laboratory as much as possible.

3. Keep the eyewash clean.

Combined with the first article I just wrote, I cleaned him up. Bi is in the laboratory, do this kind of thing that no one wants to do, everyone will have a better impression of you, and this eyewash may be able to save your eyes at a critical moment.

4. Once in the eyes, rinse with plenty of water and go to the hospital for examination if necessary.

This comes back to the fact that goggles and eyewashes are very important, others do not hesitate to order you can’t take care of it, at least manage yourself.

5. As an aside, if the amount of organic solvents in the air is large, once the static electricity or fire, in a place like an organic laboratory, it is difficult to bomb everyone to die together.

Sure enough, the most feared thing in the organic laboratory is pig teammates.

6. Another digression, gloves can not completely prevent all kinds of organic solvents, even if the gloves touch methanol, please clean in time.

Personally, I generally wear two pairs of gloves and add one point of protection.

7. Masks are useless against methanol, this goods are not so powerful… The main protection is solid powder and silica gel powder in the laboratory.

By the way, in this environment, remember to wear a long-sleeved lab coat. Methanol vapor is absorbed not only through the respiratory tract, but also through the skin.