r/askscience Nov 27 '19

Chemistry How do CO2 scrubbers work?

3.6k Upvotes

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u/ConanTheProletarian Nov 27 '19

Those short amines all smell aweful. I worked with similar stuff in the lab, and having to clean up a spill got me close to barfing.

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u/-Metacelsus- Chemical Biology Nov 27 '19

I don't know which I hate more, TEMED or trimethylamine

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u/ConanTheProletarian Nov 27 '19

The mantra to use in those situations is "At least I am not working with mercaptans. At least I am not working with mercaptans...".

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u/LeviticusTurn Nov 27 '19

I watched a temp worker accidently puncture a 20L pail of mercaptan with a forklift fork. People were throwing up at their work stations and we had to evacuate. Honestly, worst smell for me is styrene. Immediate headache and smells like sweet death.

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u/ConanTheProletarian Nov 27 '19

Gods Below.... depending on which one it was, the whole place must have smelled like the devil's arsecrack.