The Dangers Of Diethyl Ether
Peroxides and ethers.
The dangers of diethyl ether. There are some oth. In case of a large fire use alcohol foam water spray or. Not only does diethyl ether pose an inhalation hazard but it is also extremely dangerous to eye and skin health. The most serious of the dangers associated with ether anesthetic is that of death.
In the case of small fires use dry chemical powder. It s hazards and safe use ether diethyl ether ethyl ether is an extremely common solvent that is routinely used in varying quantity in laboratory procedures through out the university it is however a substance that has extreme physical hazards cognisance of which must always be a priority when planning even the. Diethyl ether isopropyl ether dioxin tetrahydrofuran and many others tend to absorb and react with oxygen from the air to form unstable peroxides. The vapor of diethyl ether can be ignited from both open flame heat sources and static electricity.
It is also very volatile at room temperature as the bp is about 35 ºc 95 ºf. Central drug house p ltd 7 28 vardaan house new delhi 10002 india. How to properly handle diethyl ether. Diethyl ether or simply ether is an organic compound in the ether class with the formula c 2 h 5 2 o sometimes abbreviated as et 2 o see pseudoelement symbols it is a colorless highly volatile sweet smelling ethereal odour flammable liquid it is commonly used as a solvent in laboratories and as a starting fluid for some engines.
As has been pointed out ether is very flammable. It is generally recognized that ether peroxides are dangerous. 60 29 7 1 2 relevant identified uses of the substance or mixture and uses advised against identified uses. Laboratory chemicals industrial for professional use only.
Also diethyl ether can become explosive when introduced to air and light. 1 3 details of the supplier of the safety data sheet company. However the danger is often underestimated when ethers are being distilled resulting in explosions which could really be avoided. The term ether often refers to diethyl ether so i ll assume this is the ether you are referring to.
When using diethyl ether in the workplace only explosion proof group c electrical equipment should be operated in the area. The following is from crc handbook of laboratory safety 5 th edition. It was formerly used as a general anesthetic until. Because the ld50 or dose of ether that produces death in 50 percent of the population is only slightly higher than the dose of ether required to reduce consciousness sufficiently many patients received accidental overdoses of ether in the course of medical treatment.