Monday, August 19, 2019

Safety alert: AlfaAesar tBuLi septa can be unscrewed easily

Credit
PSA: the @AlfaAesar "ChemSeal" bottles do NOT have a traditional sureseal (rubber septum under screw cap). The screw cap IS THE SEPTUM.  
The septum is also covered by a sticker, making it unclear that you SHOULDNT UNSCREW THE CAP 
I opened the bottle. I stared at the tBuLi, it stared back at me. We had a good time 
Alfa, this is unconscionable. The bottle was sealed with just a screw cap. This is not appropriate air free storage for pyrophorics (evidenced by large amounts of LiOH in the bottle)
It's a bit distressing that this particular chemical would suffer a downgrade in safety precautions from a major lab supply house. Stay safe out there, friends.  

5 comments:

  1. Had a similar experience with a different pyrophoric from Alfa, and fortunately was able to cover it without any kind of reaction occurring in my face. When you come to expect a septum inside you don't think twice about opening the bottle up. The format it comes in is completely useless, I had to trash the bottle I opened immediately and the only reason I would buy another is if I particularly felt like decanting it into a Schlenk flask upon opening.

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  2. I had "AcroSeal" septum bottle leaking into box in which it came - the culprit: poorly tightened screw-on septum cap. It made me to stop buying anhydrous/air free stuff from them

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    Replies
    1. I find those useful for solvents but that's all, I've had too many cross-thread or leak to ever trust them for something pyrophoric.

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  3. Funny, the last chemical I got from them was leaking due to an insufficiently-tightened cap. Not pyrophoric, mind you.

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  4. Northwestern put out a Safety Alert

    https://researchsafety.northwestern.edu/safety-alert-pyrophoric/

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looks like Blogger doesn't work with anonymous comments from Chrome browsers at the moment - works in Microsoft Edge, or from Chrome with a Blogger account - sorry! CJ 3/21/20