Steps Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 (edited) Im finishing off using my barium carbonate turning it into nitrate. The ceramic company might as well have sold me pure barium sulfide as the smell is very intense. Apparently in low concentrations its not good. But im feeling no adverse effects like eye irritation, I feel a bit flustered but i reckon its from the heat as well as a tad of barium in my system. My family upstairs are complaining so i have to tone everything down now. Is it really that bad that i should evacuate the area when the smell is too strong? Edited March 30, 2009 by Steps
Miech Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 The tricky thing about hydrogen sulfide is that it makes your nose insensitive. The concentration can get to dangerous levels without being noticed, so I wouldn't say it didn't do harm if even your family upstairs smells it. Barium doesn't make you feel weird, it's an heavy metal toxin which has merely long term effects rather than short term effects. If you got some into your system, I'd be really careful next time. When knowing hydrogen sulfide will form, I'd at least do the reaction outside when there is some wind. Doing such reactions inside without proper precautions (ventilation, glove box etc.) can do severe health damage or even kill you.
Steps Posted March 30, 2009 Author Posted March 30, 2009 (edited) Barium doesn't make you feel weird, it's an heavy metal toxin which has merely long term effects rather than short term effects. If you got some into your system, I'd be really careful next time. When knowing hydrogen sulfide will form, I'd at least do the reaction outside when there is some wind. Doing such reactions inside without proper precautions (ventilation, glove box etc.) can do severe health damage or even kill you. All information I'v found about Barium states that it's a non cumulative poison, I always have a glass of Magnesium Sulphate solution handy, If it was lead i would be a bit more cautious . Don't worry i wouldn't think of doing any of this stuff inside, I got a small area of my backyard dedicated to this. As the reaction procedes i walk away and let it do its thing, I assume when my nose starts bleeding (Happened from an incident with HCl) that i am in any danger or i feel in physical pain. I have had slight barium poisoning before and am aware of the symptoms, It's mainly my family complainging, the smell they are experiencing is just lingering a lil and they're old. I'm sure I won't be happy if i have future children doing the same thing. Edited March 30, 2009 by Steps
Seymour Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Barium doesn't make you feel weird, it's an heavy metal toxin which has merely long term effects rather than short term effects. In my experience, which I unfortunately have, mild Barium poisoning feels rather a lot like a mild hangover.
Mumbles Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 A hangover isn't far from a proper description. I had a migrane headache, nausea, vomiting. Less body aches and drowsiness than a hangover. Not very fun. You could always do the reaction in a closed system, and scrub the resulting gas through NaOH solution.
Steps Posted March 30, 2009 Author Posted March 30, 2009 That would be ideal, but i dont have that much equipment, only that which is dedicated to holding barium and stuff, I don't mind the gas floating about around the world. Neighbours don't complain as long they are happy I am happy.
mike_au Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Has anyone here tried modifying a sandblasting box for use as glove box/fume hood? I think it would be as simple as adding air tight seals and an extractor fan. Seems like it would be a relatively low cost setup for handling the some of the more toxic reactions.
a_bab Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 (edited) H2S is a very nasty poison; it can be compared to HCN. Just a whiff of pure gas it's all it takes to literally drop dead. A scrubber and even two may not be enough (there was a thread on madsci forum about a H2S poisoning - very interesting and worry read) Even 1-2 percent of barium sulfide in few hundreds grams of carbonate gives enough gas to poison yourself if not properly ventilated. But it can be more. I would never ever do a reaction that involves H2S indoors; if outdoors you can go far from populated areas so you don't upset anyone with the stech. Nowadays especially, people could get very suspicios with everything chemistry related. Edited March 30, 2009 by a_bab
Steps Posted March 30, 2009 Author Posted March 30, 2009 well i'm not showing any signs of poisoning and i'v been inhaling that putrid stench for a few days. Anybody know if it is possible that Barium Sulfide Impurities in my carbonate can be oxidised to the sulphate and become insoluble. Cause im getting a lot of barium sulphate filtered out of my product, Easily more than half than what iv made. Maybe my products just shit quality, i guess its what i get for $3.80 a kilo.
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