Making the Grade…in the Chem. Lab

Have you ever wondered what highly concentrated Nitric Acid feels like on your face?? Yeah! Me too! Hehe

Ok, so I was in the lab the other day…

My Teacher: “Class, we will be working with highly concentrated Nitric and Sulfuric acid.”

Narrator: In case there are some who don’t know what acids are, they are corrosive substances that can rapidly corrode most metallic and some biological matter. I knew this at the time.

Me: “Wow! Concentrated Nitric Acid! Better wear gloves!”

My inner me: “Wonder what this stuff will do to this paper towel??”

Me: “Whoa! It ate right through the paper towel!”

My Teacher: “Avoid getting it on stuff you don’t want to loose. Like your books…”

My inner me: “Yeah, yeah and Body parts….hhmmm…Body parts…..NO! Gavin! Get a grip!...Concentrate on the experiment! Ok, so I need 4mL of Nitric acid…and 4mL of Sulfuric acid…mix them together. Ok, now I put them in an ice bath and let them sit…”

Narrator: I start whistling like a mad scientist in his home laboratory

AHhh…AHCHO!!! *sniff*

My inner me: “Wow, that was a big one!”

Narrator: Being a good lab tech, I had sneezed into my clean sleeve, however, I wiped my nose on the back of my gloved hand…It only took 30 seconds before my nose felt like it was being torn off my face by an army of fire ants in Bermuda Shorts!! I guess you could say it felt sort of like a tropical searing sensation. Odd that.

Anyway, you must realize that I am surrounded by other students working at their experiments, and doing a good job too. These were smart people. They knew what they were doing. I simply could NOT even hint at what was happening to me! It was out of the question. Therefore, I grabbed a flask I had just cleaned and calmly…as if I had not a care in the world…made a dash to the sink.

As I was passing my lab buddy he quipped: “Hey man! I thought you just washed that thing! *Chuckle* Clean Freak! HA HA!”

I just nodded and whipped about a dozen paper towels off the spinner, cranked the tap for the water to FULL, and proceed to vigorously “Clean” my flask…right next to my nose! To better see the dirty spots of course.

I faked blowing my nose with the soaking paper towels…like fifteen times. After the tenth time the pain started to go away. I was fine after the fifteenth. I finally looked up and saw that my buddy was just starting at me. “You OK man?” he asked. I spluttered a vague acknowledgement and walked calmly back to my lab bench a MUCH wiser man.

Cheers!