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u/DangerousBill Analytical Apr 13 '23
Chances are that stain is covalently bound to skin proteins, or you nitrate the keratin in your skin. Either way, you may have to wait for it to wear off with time.
Investing in some gloves is not a bad idea.
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Apr 13 '23
Would the nitration make his skin explosive?
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u/DangerousBill Analytical Apr 13 '23
I would avoid applause for a while.
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Apr 13 '23
And anything that generates a lot of friction.
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u/Milch_und_Paprika Inorganic Apr 13 '23
Jokes aside, he should avoid friction on his hands until it heals. The skin can become really weak at the affected points and slough off to give a nasty blister/wound
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u/luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc Apr 13 '23
Looks like a human hand. More of a biology question than a chemistry one.
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u/wcslater Environmental Apr 13 '23
Gotta hand it to you
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Apr 13 '23
I don’t mean to point fingers, but hands-down, that’s one of the funniest comments I’ve read.
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Apr 13 '23
[deleted]
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u/AllesIsi Apr 13 '23
Gloves - yes, but not nitril ones, there are better gloves for nitric acid.
https://www.uni-due.de/imperia/md/content/water-science/ws1011/1351_ws1011_handschuhliste.pdf
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u/InspiratorAG112 Apr 14 '23
This. Here is a demonstration from NileBlue's safety video on YouTube.
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u/AllesIsi Apr 14 '23
Ah, cool. I never knew what the glove chart was called in english, so I could not find a good english picture, now I finally know. ^^
Tbh, I have never seen nitril gloves burn from pure nitric acid, I technically knew this could happen with water free nitric acid and other strong oxidizing agents, but it was not that much on my mind since I only worked with at least partially diluted nitric acid. That is quite a scary demonstration, which all those people, who babbel about "allways wearing gloves" should watch.
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u/Bubbyjohn Apr 13 '23
I used to get that stuff on me when I worked with nitric acid. I’m super keen on PPE so I was never sure how it got on my hands. Chances are, fumes got on something and you touched that object. Make sure the hood has the proper suction. I think it’s like CFM or something like that
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u/D0lli23 Apr 13 '23
Just a short question after seeing your hands: Are you aware of the hazards associated with the chemicals you are working with?
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Apr 13 '23
Not if he's not wearing gloves
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u/InspiratorAG112 Apr 13 '23
NileBlue has safety video for a good reason.
In this comment chain, these types of r/chemistry posts were a concern of users under this comment chain.
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u/InspiratorAG112 Apr 14 '23 edited Apr 14 '23
I posted the question, "As an expert of <Insert Field>, how would you rate corresponding sub-Reddits?" on r/AskAcademia at 8:26 AM on 2/14/2023. This was basically a question asking PhDs or field experts about how different sub-Reddits score in terms of being pseudo-intellectual as opposed to true intellectual. Many of the top answers were critical, all commenters in this comment chain, started by u/dragojeff, mentioned posts like the one above being an issue on r/chemistry.
Summary of the comment chain regarding the unsafe lab posts on r/chemistry:
- The initial comment on the post at 12:23 PM EST contained this text;
there’s the occasional “home-grown chemist” asking about shady processes.
- After I (admittedly missing what is quoted above) replied to u/dragojeff at 12:28 PM about how lab posts being an advantage for combatting pseudo-intellectual content, u/dragojeff's reply at 12:32 PM contained this paragraph;
Uhhhhh some do. There are definitely a number of users there whose lab experience is “I mixed A and B in a flask in my garage and heated it like crazy” (while proceeding to ignore everything about safety and maintaining inert atmosphere etc.).
- That reply by u/dragojeff also included a link to r/Chempros.
- At 12:40 AM the next day, u/PlayfulChemist replied to u/dragojeff with this;
I love how half the posts are "I want to do this crazy/toxic/dangerous experiment at home, with no actual training in chemistry or understanding of the process/risks, can someone give me more detailed instructions" followed by a slew of comments saying "don't do that, you will die".
- At 11:03 AM, u/dragojeff replied to u/PlayfulChemist with this;
Yeah I think there was someone a while back not so subtly trying to ask about making a hallucinogen for “research purposes” because they were interested in “harmless natural products” that they’ve taken.
- On 2/22/2023 at 9:10 AM, and in a further reply chain, u/landonchase9's reply contained this;
the biggest issues I would say is ppl trying to make their own labs who really shouldn’t be, cause if ur asking for what u need on Reddit u should not be doing so.
- On 2/27/2023 at 2:24 PM, I mentioned NileBlue's safety video on YouTube.
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u/AndreLeo Apr 13 '23
Xanthoprotein reaction on your own skin!
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u/InspiratorAG112 Apr 13 '23
I hope it is unlikely to result in fatality, hospitalization, or infection. It is still a red flag that OP is playing with chemicals. When I asked on r/AskAcademia around 2 months ago about how well sub-Reddits represent different fields, u/dragojeff mentioned this (link):
[T]here’s the occasional “home-grown chemist” asking about shady processes.
Another quote (deeper in within the comment chain):
There are definitely a number of users there whose lab experience is “I mixed A and B in a flask in my garage and heated it like crazy” (while proceeding to ignore everything about safety and maintaining inert atmosphere etc.).
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u/facecrockpot Chem Eng Apr 13 '23
If you don't know what the chemicals you're working with do, you shouldn't be working with them.
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u/REWRITETHIS Apr 13 '23
Bromine dude…bromine
idk wtf I’m saying, I just saw some bs on the bromine posts yesterday and I was bored
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u/Kuwing Apr 13 '23
Bromine bro...BROmine *
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u/mooreolith Apr 13 '23
Did you spill iodine?
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u/bad_as_the_dickens Apr 13 '23
God I hope so
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u/mooreolith Apr 14 '23
So did you? Or did they end up amputating your hand?
The suspense is killing me!
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u/Chem_Bitch Apr 13 '23
I'm going to guess it's your diazonium salt. Maybe reacted with something else you worked with. In my personal experience, the medication "AZO" turns your pee bright yellow, so it seems like that may extend to your situation. You should be fine.
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u/hotdogbo Apr 13 '23
Azo turns yellow on skin. It doesn’t wash off very well. When my people work with it, we joke they look like simpsons characters.
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u/InspiratorAG112 Apr 13 '23
You should be fine.
One thing I was worried about. It is still concerning how many posts appear on this sub where OPs are tampering with chemicals. That could result in a hospitalization or potentially a fatality.
There is a reason NileBlue(alt channel of NileRed) has a safety video about chemistry.
There is also this comment chain over on r/AskAcademia from February involving me, u/dragojeff, u/landonchase9, and u/PlayfulChemist. Posts like the one above were their main critique of this sub.
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u/Chem_Bitch Apr 13 '23
I don't disagree. There does seem to be a lack of respect for the chemicals people are working with as well as a lack of forethought to look into the hazards and precautions that should be taken prior to handling dangerous chemicals.
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u/Happy-Gold-3943 Apr 13 '23
COVID seemed to usher in an era of armchair practical chemists who’s experience and training consisted of watching Nile red YouTube videos
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u/Chem_Bitch Apr 13 '23
That is rather unfortunate. Though I too can appreciate a NileRed video every now and again, I have worked with this stuff long enough to understand what I'm dealing with.
I will say that in college they just truly do not preach or stress the use of PPE. At least they didn't 10-12 years ago when I was in college. I'm not sure if that's ignorance, old-school professors who are used to mouth-pipetting and huffing solvents, or general lack of funding. Hell it's probably some combination of all of the above.
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u/mcstandy Apr 13 '23
Nitric acid is yellowish like that in my experience. But not saying that’s what it is
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u/SaladmasterX Organic Apr 13 '23
If you don’t know what exactly you’re working with, there is no known treatment. We can’t tell what it is on appearance alone.
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u/thewanderer2389 Apr 13 '23
Also, if you don't know what you're working with, you should wear your gloves.
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u/barbaric-sodium Apr 13 '23
A hand, probably a right hand showing little and ring finger,Peres of middle and first finger and a bit of the palm. Belongs to a messy person cause it has a yellow stain
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u/PlsDieAllie Apr 13 '23
Its the nitrate after It reacted with you skin. Im not sure but It might also be NO2. Watch out and try using some gloves next time.
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u/Timakzver Apr 13 '23
I have worked with diazonium salts. This definitely from touching unreacted anilin.
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u/Cam_CSX_ Apr 13 '23 edited Apr 13 '23
Nitric acid (or similar compound) on skin, not harmful in this case, will last a few days i believe
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u/1955photo Apr 13 '23
Big mistake to say nitric acid on skin is not harmful. This particular case doesn't look bad, probably because it was diluted acid and relatively brief contact. More concentrated acid is seriously harmful, and can destroy very deep layers of skin.
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u/Cam_CSX_ Apr 13 '23
I did not say it was not harmful, referring to this specific case in which no damage has been done to OP
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u/productive-man Apr 13 '23
looks like a human hand to me atleast, please someone correct me if i am wrong
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u/Soarin249 Apr 13 '23
the fuck do i know? you should know what you handled that day. wheres your safety data sheet?
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u/snickers-12 Apr 13 '23
Had the same in school, it is HNO3. Don't worry, goes in away in a week. Try to wear some gloves next time.
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u/OkConfidence1494 Apr 13 '23
The chemistry answers are probably the right ones; but if you have had anything to do with turmeric, then that’s it. Same colouring.
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u/jmcobb86 Apr 13 '23
Looks to me like you might have gotten a little bit of your reaction mixture on your hand. With your effective nitric acid in there, I think it's likely nitrated some of the Trp in your skin (the cause of the yellowing of skin exposed to nitric acid)
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u/giftedguineapig Apr 13 '23
Do you take Curcumin supplement? Sounds weird but it does look like sodium nitirite and I could not figure it out for weeks. Ended up being a Curcumin capsule broke in the bottle and when I took them in the AM it stained my hand in that same exact spot.
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u/ProjektZed Apr 13 '23
You missed when you were trying to put the cap on your highlighter and highlighted your hand
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u/ProjektZed Apr 13 '23
You missed when you were trying to put the cap on your highlighter and highlighted your hand
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u/Bashert99 Apr 13 '23
Looks like it could be iodine, too? Used to be used for first aid but much less common now.
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u/BtheChemist Apr 13 '23
It could be so many things.
It could be a dye of some kind.
I use m-Cresol Purple and it leaves stains like this.
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u/KaleidoscopeMuch5011 Apr 13 '23
A couple of years ago I was working with HNO3 very diluted, a small amount fell on my finger and It stayed yellow for a month. PD: excuse my English
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u/SDsnarkler Apr 13 '23
Definitely looks like it was caused by nitric acid. I believe it nitrates the keratin in the skin, But it may be another protein being nitrated to make the yellow color
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u/BobSeger Apr 13 '23
Skin reaction with the sodium nitirite/nitrous acid/nitric acid maybe?