Hi Rose

These are most likely organometallic alkene isomerization catalysts.
There are a variety of these in the literature. These are composed of
the named metal decorated with various ligands, possibly a phosphine or
carbonyl (carbon monoxide). They are unlikely to incorporate reactive
hydrogen. The ligands are bound to the metal and are unlikely to pose a
significant hazard. See ferricyanide for example. They are stored in the
glovebox because they are air-sensitive, the functionality being
destroyed by oxygen.

I've worked with air-sensitive catalysts before and the most dramatic
thing that usually happens on air exposure is the catalyst changes color
and stops working.

I would deal with them by removing the vials from the glovebox and
letting them stand overnight in air in case they aren't tightly sealed.
Then, I would gently "crack" open the vials just enough to break the
seal and let them stand again. The vials can then be opened to air and
allowed to stand once more. When the reactivity is "killed" I would
dispose of them in inorganic waste.

Best regards
Dave Lane
CSO
Zyviva Labs

On 6/7/24 5:40 AM, Rakers, Rose wrote:
> We had a professor leave before being able to do a complete cleanout of
> her lab. I have some substances that I am having a hard time determining
> the hazards. They are all in a glovebox right now. I need to remove them
> in order to get rid of them (plus the glove box just needs to be shut
> down – the pump is dying and we don’t have anyone else who needs the
> glove box right now).
>
> Specifically, there are two small vials hand-labeled “Zipper Copper” and
> “Zipper Cobalt”. I’m not familiar with the zipper metal catalysts and,
> of course, that is the entirety of the information I have on them.
>
> Any information you can provide would be helpful.
> Thank you.
>
> Rose
>
> *Rose Rakers, Ph.D.*
>
> Chemical Hygiene Officer
>
> Assistant Professor
>
> Department of Physical Science
>
> College of Science and Health
>
> Benedictine University
>
> Lisle, IL
>
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