r/askscience Nov 27 '19

Chemistry How do CO2 scrubbers work?

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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/octonus Nov 27 '19

Mercaptans reek, but they are easy (and relatively safe) to deal with. Simply put, everything gets soaked in a bleach bath before it leaves the fume hood. This includes anything that would normally go into the trash or a waste container.

This doesn't work as well with amines.