chemistry of hazardous materials

 
Paper instructions:
Question 1. Why is the spillage of liquid oxygen upon asphalt pavement potentially hazardous?

Question 2.The DOT regulation at 49 CFR 174.450 previously stipulated that when fire occurs in a domestic rail shipment of charcoal in transit, water should not be used if it is practicable to locate and remove the burning charcoal. Any charcoal that becomes wet while a fire is being extinguished must be removed from the car and not reshipped, and the remaining charcoal must be held under observation in a dry place for at least 5 days before forwarding. What is the most likely reason DOT regulates the domestic transportation of charcoal in this fashion? What chemical reaction is involved here?

Question 3. Oleum or fuming sulfuric acid available commercially in concentrations ranging from 20 to 99.9% sulfur trioxide.

A. What is the percent by mass of sulfur trioxide (SO3) if oleum is expressed as 3H2SO4 . 5SO3? Show your solution.

B. Discuss at least three potentially hazardous features associated with concentrated sulfuric acid.

Question 4. When sulfuric acid is a component of polluted air, it chemically attacks statues, memorials, and monuments made from limestone. Given that the most common mineral in limestone is calcium carbonate, describe how these limestone objects are corroded by the sulfuric acid in polluted air. What chemical reaction is involved here?

Question 5. When relatively small amounts of magnesium burn, the fires are extinguished using commercially available dry powder. Why might this fire rekindle days later as someone tries to remove the residue with water? What chemical process is involved here?

Question 6. The paint formerly used on some storage tanks contained aluminum powder, which reflected heat from the surface of the tanks. Why did experts recommend grounding these tanks and storing only noncombustible material in them? Why is the installation of an automatic sprinkling system recommended in machine shops that use lathes to fabricate titanium parts? Be specific.

Question 7. Discuss an incident (fire, spill, explosion, etc) that you have experienced (or research one on the Internet, professional journal, or scientific magazine article) that involved a toxic material(s) and required mitigation. Please do not use the instances supplied in the textbook unless you intend to provide a lot more detail. The following items must be addressed:

A) Describe the incident and identify the toxic material(s) involved;
B) Discuss the chemical interactions of the material(s) involved in this incident or toxic properties relevant to the incident;
C) Discuss the mitigation required or implemented.

Question 8. Why are active on-duty firefighters likely to experience the adverse health effects from inhaling 300 ppm of carbon monoxide faster than nonactive off-duty firefighters who inhale the same concentration of the same substance? Explain your answer using the chemicals/process involved.