[Histonet] Picric Acid

[Jackie O'Connor]

There is a lot of published data on the hazards of picric acid - although I don't think most histo labs have to worry about what they have in house for trichromes and fixation.  It did cost me more disposal since we used to use hundreds of gallons a year for fixation of testes.   Finding an alternative fixative was a good move for us.   
Jackie O'


-----Original Message-----
From: Goins, Tresa <TGoins <@t> mt.gov>
To: Ingles Claire <CIngles <@t> uwhealth.org>; Geoff <mcauliff <@t> umdnj.edu>; histonet <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
Sent: Wed, Sep 19, 2012 3:02 pm
Subject: [Histonet] Picric Acid


A WEB site just for historical interest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion 

e continue to use picric acid in the lab, but only as an aqueous or saturated 
olution.
The chemical safety guys came out and carefully removed the bottle of 
moistened" picric acid that we had on the shelf for several years - they were 
ery excited as it was no longer "moist" - Montana is very dry.
Tresa

----Original Message-----
rom: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] 
n Behalf Of Ingles Claire 
ent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:17 PM
o: Geoff; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
ubject: RE: [Histonet] RE: mouse testis in Bouins/Picric acid hazzards
Yes, but why take the chance. There are also other chemicals in the lab the 
icric acid can interact with to make it even more volitile than it was to begin 
ith. Dynamite other explosives have the same problem. The older it gets the 
ore degraded and unstable it becomes. One never knows if or when. I'd like to 
void traumatically amputating my arms if possible, thank you.
laire
________________________________
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu on behalf of Geoff
ent: Mon 9/17/2012 9:26 AM
o: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
ubject: Re: [Histonet] RE: mouse testis in Bouins/Picric acid hazzards

I am with Wayne on this one. While I have not tried to make it explode it does 
eem to me that the dangers are hyped beyond reason.
ears ago an old bottle of picric acid would be discovered in a high school 
hemistry lab. Horrors! Call the bomb squad! So it was taken out to a large 
ield, packed with explosives and BOOM! Of course it exploded, it was surrounded 
ith explosives.
Geoff
On 9/14/2012 8:58 PM, E. Wayne Johnson wrote:
 What danger of Picric Acid are you concerned with?


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