3 ms·

Plutonium, Schmonium... Have a look at the blog "Things I won't work with": https://www.science.org/action/doSearch?AllField=Things+I+won%27t+work+with https:

by amai 4y ago

Plutonium, Schmonium... Have a look at the blog "Things I won't work with": https://www.science.org/action/doSearch?AllField=Things+I+won%27t+work+with https://www.science.org/action/doSearch?AllField=Things+I+wo... One example I recall from the blog is "It is, of course, extremely toxic, but that's the least of the problem. It is hypergolic with every known fuel, and so rapidly hypergolic that no ignition delay has ever been measured. It is also hypergolic with such things as cloth, wood, and test engineers, not to mention asbestos, sand, and water—with which it reacts explosively." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine_trifluoride https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine_trifluoride

542458 4y ago
I’ve seen the blogpost before, but the Wikipedia article is great. From Wikipedia: > This oxidizing power, surpassing that of oxygen, causes ClF3 to react vigorously with many other materials often thought of as incombustible and refractory. […] In one particular industrial accident, a spill of 900 kg of ClF3 burned through 30 cm of concrete and 90 cm of gravel beneath. Two things: First, the idea of burning (not melting!) through 1.2m of what is effectively stone is wild. Second, somebody had 900kg of this stuff in one place?!