Accidental fun with chemistry.

[SmileDocHill]

I have a little alcohol torch I use for warming wax when making dentures and such. The thing would NOT light this morning for my last patient just before lunch. I'm thinking, what can possibly be broken or not work with a simple torch?! I put it aside to figure it out over lunch.

It has to be that someone put the wrong liquid (ethyl alcohol) in it. Now, keep in mind I practically have zero sense of smell. I see a little precipitate in the bottle, should have been my first clue to be careful. I take the top off, take a couple good long sniffs and think I smell alcohol but I also smell something else. Couple drags later and I'm light headed. I'm thinking, I get that way with strong bleach smells, maybe someone...wait...bleach and alcohol....chemistry major 20+yrs ago..... CHLOROFORM!

Now if this were a really good story I'd tell you how I woke up in a tub of ice with a kidney removed, or that my assistant was sitting in the corner smoking a cigarette with a satisfied look about her. As it played out I got a little buzz and a LOT lucky and got to spend my lunch break flushing out the wick and cleaning the torch (not a euphemism unfortunately).

No real point to the story, just thought I'd share my drama for the day. It's what the kids are doing now and I want to feel young.

 

[spencer rifle]

I see it affected your spelling.

 

[Leadeye]

.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

So how did the wrong liquid get into the bottle? Sabotage? Have you ticked off your assistant recently? Is she any relation to Bill Cosby?

 

[SmileDocHill]

Ha, didn't see that. I can't blame my spelling on chemicals, unless there was an incident as a child, hmmm, that would explain a lot.

 

[Alamo]

So bleach + alcohol = choloform? Didn't know that.

Heh.

Heh heh.

Buwahahahahaha!

 

[pute62]

CHLOROFORM ! For those who can't pickup women with their looks. Lol

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

It's a classic pickup line: "Excuse me, young lady, does this handkerchief smell like chloroform to you?"

 

[hoosierdoc]

So bleach + alcohol = choloform? Didn't know that.

Heh.

Heh heh.

Buwahahahahaha!

That's What I was thinking

 

[shibumiseeker]

You're also making hydrochloric acid which is decidely bad for your nasal mucosa as well as your lungs...

 

[Alamo]

You're also making hydrochloric acid which is decidely bad for your nasal mucosa as well as your lungs...

Oh sure, just rain on the parade....

 

[Vigilant]

You're also making hydrochloric acid which is decidely bad for your nasal mucosa as well as your lungs...

And the nominee for the January 11th Denny Award is...

 

[MrAverage]

Interesting, I don't think you would form a significant amount of chloroform through the haloform reaction by simply mixing ethanol and bleach, but the addition of heat or base would help. Also, chloroform is highly volatile and would likely evaporate as quickly as formed. Although you may want an opinion from someone that was better than average (Mr) in organic.

 

[Bennettjh]

So bleach + alcohol = choloform? Didn't know that.

Heh.

Heh heh.

Buwahahahahaha!

 

[MohawkSlim]

It's a classic pickup line: "Excuse me, young lady, does this handkerchief smell like chloroform to you?"

Like I'm going to fall for that again.