Doesn't litography use some pretty wild chemicals. Like Chlorine Trifloride? Thing that when burned emits hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid. Aka thing that burns ashes. Again.
I assume making those machines is pretty crazy as well.
I assume making those machines is pretty crazy as well.
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Chronic exposure to small amounts or acute exposure to large amounts of mercury vapor is toxic; it's just that most compounds are worse.
If that was a never-gonna-let-you-go bond, HF would be a much less nasty substance.
On a tangent from that link: “Fluorine is a naturally-occurring, pale yellow-green gas with a sharp odor.” What lunatic went sniffing fluorine gas and how did he have any sense of smell after doing so?
There are some fluorine compounds that are far less reactive than things like HF, but still toxic; perfluorooctanoic acid is the most notorious one. Naturally these are the ones that are most used to synthesize fluorine compounds.
"Piranha solution" (sulfuric acid, water, and hydrogen peroxide) is closer to what tv/movies portray hydrofluoric acid being like. That is, being able to disappear a body in it.
It seems to be dangerous in a lot of different horrible ways. It's always fun reading an MSDS for substances like this: https://www.airgas.com/msds/001077.pdf
I worked at IGNS in NZ and they used it for dissolving rocks. Many warning signs.
[edit: to clarify I mean safety warning signs, not warning signs of being in contact with it. My assumption is excruciating agony which would be a good indicator :D]
I'm not sure what concentration IGNS was using it in as I'm mercifully a computer person, but I had a friend who worked in their labs and took me through them one time :D
> It can be kept in some of the ordinary structural metals—steel, copper, aluminum, etc.—because of the formation of a thin film of insoluble metal fluoride that protects the bulk of the metal, just as the invisible coat of oxide on aluminum keeps it from burning up in the atmosphere. If, however, this coat is melted or scrubbed off, and has no chance to reform, the operator is confronted with the problem of coping with a metal-fluorine fire. For dealing with this situation, I have always recommended a good pair of running shoes.
I think there is a reason, there are not that many around. If you would apply the default computer safety mindset to rocket fuels ...
The mound of earth is there to redirect any potential explosion upwards hopefully protecting the rest of your facility if one building goes boom.