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From: "Koster, Sandra" <skoster**At_Symbol_Here**UWLAX.EDU>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] two questions on flammable material refrigerators
Date: Thu, 1 Aug 2013 14:30:56 -0500
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: CAD4T1-WTma79uwqM5EDH3vuNmgsS_t+OeQJ=c8srLyzT29rabg**At_Symbol_Here**mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To <81517D60279DA14B9C4EB0E41FBFA68712B21A6F**At_Symbol_Here**bluenose.carroll.edu>


I think the reason for putting NMR solvents in a fridge is to minimize evaporation or pressure build-up. We only keep these solvents refrigerated if they have not been opened; otherwise they can pick up water but we use a flammables refrigerator in case of unexpected leaks. The d-4-methanol is highly flammable and if refrigerated a flammables fridge is certainly required. The DMSO has a high b.p. and is hygroscopic so you probably don't want to refrigerate it.

It is not recommended that peroxide formers be refrigerated so you shouldn't put your ether in even a flammables fridge.

As to just how flammable a material needs to be, the "flammable" designation is a technical one but why take chances? http://www.chem.purdue.edu/chemsafety/newsandstories/refrigstories.htm has some anecdotes that are illustrative.

Sandra Koster
Senior Lecturer
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse


On Thu, Aug 1, 2013 at 12:21 PM, Strode, Kyle <strode**At_Symbol_Here**carroll.edu> wrote:

After a bunch of great replies on flammable refrigerators, I have two follow-up questions.

question 1: A colleague asked me to inquire what the general selection criteria are for deciding which chemicals should be stored in a fridge vs. on the unrefrigerated shelf (I suppose this isn't necessarily a safety question). For those that should be refrigerated, what spec should determine that it should be in a flammables refrigerator and not a regular one? Is it a flash point cutoff or something else?

question 2: The NMR solvents under consideration are CDCl3, d6-DMSO and d4-methanol. Should these even be in a fridge? Should these specific solvents be in a flammables fridge?

Thanks so much for all of the help!

Kyle Strode


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