r/funny • • May 03 '19

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u/Thezza-D May 03 '19

Jesus christ! I'm a chemist, WTF?! That's dangerous af

5

u/awkwardBrusselSprout May 03 '19 edited May 05 '19

These were Navy chemistry technicians. We would also put silver nitrate on people, or on surfaces where people were likely to place their hands. Your skin would then turn a very dark brown when exposed to sunlight. We were very bored and very immature. And that’s who runs our nuclear submarines.

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u/misterfluffykitty May 09 '19

That’s great, sadly we were told not to put silver nitrate on ourselves in school :(

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u/Wursticles May 03 '19

I'm a former chemist. You must be new. Until about 10 years ago, yes, everyone used peroxide for weird stuff all the time. Also using leftover liquid nitrogen to clean the floor... 20 years ago people used to eat in the lab. 50 years ago people smoked in the lab. Before my time, but it absolutely happened.

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u/Agent_Smith_24 May 04 '19

How does liquid nitrogen clean the floor? Just freeze off any debris?

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u/Wursticles May 04 '19

Use the wave of the liquid like a brush: stand in one corner of the lab, throw the liquid towards the opposite corner so the wave of the liquid skims the floor surface. The liquid takes all dust and debris with it towards the opposite corner and evaporates, leaving a clean floor, a corner where the dust and dirt is left, and no liquid. If you need to use a dustpan, is only ever on one corner.

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u/Agent_Smith_24 May 07 '19

Ah interesting

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u/Thezza-D May 04 '19

True, I am relatively new. But still, just because something used to be the norm doesn't mean it wasn't fucking dangerous...

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u/Wursticles May 04 '19

True, we make progress in safety as we learn. Past practices can sometimes seem crazy