# Hazards of liquid nitrogen **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 21, 2013, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazards-of-liquid-nitrogen/661549 "2013-06-21T11:53:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazards-of-liquid-nitrogen/661549/21 "2019-11-19T13:30:11Z")
> [@user\_hostile](#): > > We used a top opening freezer to store the containers material with the thermostat set to the lowest temperature. That wasn’t low enough, however–we augmented the cooling with dry ice pellets. Had to add a new batch every few days as the stuff sublimated. > > As we started going through the boxes, we had to reach into the freezer deeper and deeper. As we finished with the production run, I went to get the last set of boxes at the bottom of the freezer; six inches of pellets remained at the bottom. The freezer light allowed you could to see the pool of a condensed water vapor cloud bleeding over the side of the freezer. > > Without thinking, I stuck my head into a container consisting of pure CO2, and took a lung full… > > Pain and panic. Think of the worst soda pop burp you’ve ever had (you know, the one that makes your nose burn?). Imagine everything burning–nose, eyes, mouth, windpipe, tongue, uvula, hell even your tooth fillings. Did something similar once. Received a shipment of frozen steaks, packed with dry ice. Put the dry ice in a zip-loc bag, let some CO2 gas accumulate, and then cracked open the bag and inhaled. Severe pain resulted, and I will not be repeating that experience. > [@Colophon](#): > > The energy of reaction between pure oxygen and many substances is more than enough to outweigh a bit of chilliness. Back in the early days of the world wide web, there was a guy at Purdue University who gained some fame for his method of lighting a charcoal grill: -pour in 60 pounds of charcoal -place a lit cigarette on top of the pile -pour on a gallon of liquid oxygen In a few seconds’ time, you’re left with 20 pounds of charcoal ready to cook. [Here’s one of his videos,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjPxDOEdsX8) and here’s the [Dave Barry article](http://www.davebarry.com/misccol/charcoal.htm) that made him famous. I recall that he expressed the extreme importance of placing the lit cigarette on top of the pile BEFORE pouring on the LO2 - this, because a briquette of charcoal soaked in LO2 has the explosive potential of a stick of dynamite. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazards-of-liquid-nitrogen/661549/22 "2019-11-19T14:14:06Z")
It looks like that xkcd is explaining the dangers of liquid oxygen while describing liquid nitrogen. [Here is safety recommendations for liquid nitrogen.](https://engineering.dartmouth.edu/microeng/ln2.html) Other than the possibility of absorbing oxygen and extreme cold, nothing looks too dangerous. [Compare with liquid oxygen safety.](http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/programs/lab/cryogens/oxygen/) As a physics lab assistant in college, we spilled about two gallons of liquid nitrogen on a big lab table. Don’t ask how. The lab table naturally wanted to contract, but the big bolts held the table tight to the big steel legs. Until the big bolts didn’t. It sounded kind of like gun shots, as the bolts loudly popped off the table. The plus side was that clean up was easy, as the liquid nitrogen evaporated. And the room was huge, so no dangers there. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazards-of-liquid-nitrogen/661549/23 "2019-11-19T15:13:48Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Did something similar once. Received a shipment of frozen steaks, packed with dry ice. Put the dry ice in a zip-loc bag, let some CO2 gas accumulate, and then cracked open the bag and inhaled. Severe pain resulted, and I will not be repeating that experience. > > Back in the early days of the world wide web, there was a guy at Purdue University who gained some fame for his method of lighting a charcoal grill: > > -pour in 60 pounds of charcoal > -place a lit cigarette on top of the pile > -pour on a gallon of liquid oxygen > > In a few seconds’ time, you’re left with 20 pounds of charcoal ready to cook. [Here’s one of his videos,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjPxDOEdsX8) and here’s the [Dave Barry article](http://www.davebarry.com/misccol/charcoal.htm) that made him famous. > > I recall that he expressed the extreme importance of placing the lit cigarette on top of the pile BEFORE pouring on the LO2 - this, because a briquette of charcoal soaked in LO2 has the explosive potential of a stick of dynamite. I can’t find a link but there was the time in the “Crankshaft” comic strip where Ed tried enhancing his barbecue grill with liquid oxygen; if I’m not mis-remembering, the followup strip showed cosmonauts in orbit exclaiming about the huge flash of light on the North American continent. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazards-of-liquid-nitrogen/661549/24 "2019-11-19T15:23:02Z")
During the 1960’s Apollo moon landings, as a young science buff I became very familiar with the abbreviation “LOX” (liquid oxygen). This did confuse me when I heard references to people eating lox and bagels. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazards-of-liquid-nitrogen/661549/25 "2019-11-19T17:56:30Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > It looks like that xkcd is explaining the dangers of liquid oxygen while describing liquid nitrogen. [Here is safety recommendations for liquid nitrogen.](https://engineering.dartmouth.edu/microeng/ln2.html) Other than the possibility of absorbing oxygen and extreme cold, nothing looks too dangerous. [Compare with liquid oxygen safety.](http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/programs/lab/cryogens/oxygen/)… There is a 50’s-era chemical safety video, made for military aircraft maintenance personnel, that details some of the potential hazards of handling liquid oxygen. I guess they use a bit of it for onboard aircraft oxygen systems. The video has a lot of grab ass in it, with a cute blonde in a bikini…right up until we learn the hapless airman (EDIT: He was a Sailor instead. Who knew?) she had been flirting with, spilled lox on the front of his oily mechanics overalls. They evidently ignited, and the end of the video shows the guy in a hospital bed, burned over most of his body. The footage was of a real patient, whose parents, or other kin, gave permission to the US Government to use, in order to prevent a similar accident in the future. I understand he only lived for a short time after filming. It made an impression. I guess I could have used the example in the ‘shocking acts of violence in classic films’ thread in CS. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazards-of-liquid-nitrogen/661549/26 "2019-11-19T18:29:13Z")
Thank you, thank you, thank you for treating us to Dave Barry! I have loved that guy for years! I’m currently anesthetizing my brain cells with the House Impeachment hearings, and decided to take a SDMB break. Laughing hysterically over Dave Barry was just the refreshment I needed! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazards-of-liquid-nitrogen/661549/27 "2019-11-19T19:54:09Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > There is a 50’s-era chemical safety video, made for military aircraft maintenance personnel, that details some of the potential hazards of handling liquid oxygen. I guess they use a bit of it for onboard aircraft oxygen systems. The video has a lot of grab ass in it, with a cute blonde in a bikini…right up until we learn the hapless airman (EDIT: He was a Sailor instead. Who knew?) she had been flirting with, spilled lox on the front of his oily mechanics overalls. > > They evidently ignited, and the end of the video shows the guy in a hospital bed, burned over most of his body. The footage was of a real patient, whose parents, or other kin, gave permission to the US Government to use, in order to prevent a similar accident in the future. I understand he only lived for a short time after filming. > > It made an impression. I guess I could have used the example in the ‘shocking acts of violence in classic films’ thread in CS. “The Man From LOX” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazards-of-liquid-nitrogen/661549/28 "2019-11-20T03:15:57Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > During the 1960’s Apollo moon landings, as a young science buff I became very familiar with the abbreviation “LOX” (liquid oxygen). This did confuse me when I heard references to people eating lox and bagels. Aki: (Seeing tank labeled “LOX”) What does LOX mean? Janes Bond: Smoked salmon. But it also stands for “Liquid Oxygen” (Suddenly realizes the ship _Ning-Po_is delivering SPECTRE’s rocket supplies). – _You Only Live Twice_ (movie) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazards-of-liquid-nitrogen/661549/29 "2019-11-20T09:21:54Z")
For lighting up charcoal, even soaking wet charcoal, or anything else, one can’t do better than using fluorine, or some of its more energetic compounds. Fans of Derek Lowe and his “Things I Won’t Work With” essays, will surely remember his article [Sand Won’t Save You This Time](https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_save_you_this_time) in which he discusses the exothermic properties of chlorine trifluoride: > [@](#): > > It is apparently about the most vigorous fluorinating agent known, and is much more difficult to handle than fluorine gas. That’s one of those statements you don’t get to hear very often, and it should be enough to make any sensible chemist turn around smartly and head down the hall in the other direction. > > The compound also a stronger oxidizing agent than oxygen itself, which also puts it into rare territory. That means that it can potentially go on to “burn” things that you would normally consider already burnt to hell and gone, and a practical consequence of that is that it’ll start roaring reactions with things like bricks and asbestos tile. It’s been used in the semiconductor industry to clean oxides off of surfaces, at which activity it no doubt excels. > > There’s a report from the early 1950s (in [this PDF](http://web.archive.org/web/20060318221608/http://www.airproducts.com/nr/rdonlyres/8479ed55-2170-4651-a3d4-223b2957a9f3/0/safetygram39.pdf)) of a one-ton spill of the stuff. It burned its way through a foot of concrete floor and chewed up another meter of sand and gravel beneath, completing a day that I’m sure no one involved ever forgot. That process, I should add, would necessarily have been accompanied by copious amounts of horribly toxic and corrosive by-products: it’s bad enough when your reagent ignites wet sand, but the clouds of hot hydrofluoric acid are your special door prize if you’re foolhardy enough to hang around and watch the fireworks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazards-of-liquid-nitrogen/661549.md?page=1)