Neutralisation and safety? (1 Viewer)

The Prophetess

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That dot pt about neutralisation as a safety proceedure? how detailed should it b? i can only find brief little bits like egs..... is that all i need?
 

CM_Tutor

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The dot point says that you need to "analyse information from secondary sources to assess the use of neutralisation reactions as a safety measure or to minimise damage in accidents or chemical spills"

This means that you need to be able to:
IDENTIFY the hazards and risks associated with acids and bases - this includes appropriate prioritising (ie. a hazard that poses a risk to a person is more important than a hazard that merely poses a risk to property)
DISCUSS the used of appropriate safety precaustions for dealing with these risks (including the use of neutralisation reactions
DISCUSS the appropriateness of a variety of materials for use in neutralisation
EVALUATE a proposed method of minimising damage in accidents / spills, including ASSESSING its appropriateness

Typical questions might ask you to identify the hazard associated with a chemical, the risks it poses and the safety precautions you might take to minimise that risk - Note that hazard and risk are NOT the same thing.

Eg: use of concentrated sulfuric acid
HAZARD - it is corrosive
RISK - someone might get acid burns / injured , etc
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS - transfer by dropper using only small amounts (minimising potential for injury), have available a material suitable to neutralise any spill that might occur, etc. (Gloves, Safety Glasses, etc are generic safety precautions, and should only be used to answer a question like this if you can't think of a precaution specific to the minimising the risk in question).

Another question might be:

(a) Write a balanced equation for the reaction of solid potassium hydroxide with sulfuric acid.
(b) Calculate what volume of 10 M sulfuric acid would be required to neutralise 500 g of potassium hydroxide.
(c) A student has spilled 500 g of potassium hydroxide on the floor in the lab. A second student suggests dealing with the spill by neutralising it using the amount of 10 M sulfuric acid that you calculated in part (b). Assess the appropriateness of the second students suggestion for minimising the risks associated with this spill, and discuss one other method that you would consider more appropriate.

(Note: The above discussion also applies to other safety issues raised in the course, such as when dealing with flammable materials, etc.)
 

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