🇳🇱
Having some fun in the lab today doing some semisynthesis on phenols using Boron Trifluoride Etherate. Everything should be done except the final distillation step ill be doing tomorrow.
@mikelga Yea that stuff is a right nasty asshole too. It comes in a special sort of bottle you cant open, only way to get the content out is by piercing it with a needle and extracting it.
The reason is if it contacts air at all it aggressively reacts and gives off a cloud. If you breath it in it will destroy your lungs and likely kill you. The whole reaction had to take place under argon gas for that reason.
What sort of cool watching the needle fume as I worked with it though.
@freemo mmm! Such a nasty thing! It reminds me a rocket fuel component... Errr, asimetric dimethil-hidrazine. It destroys lung tisue literally, has neurotoxic effects and perhaps carcinogenic effects.
A beautiful molecule to dealing with!
@mikelga For some reason all the most fun chemicals are also the most deadly :)
@freemo You are an inspiration man
@freemo a
appears printed on the boronxxxxxxate can's label! Please, be carefull!