A water bottle explosion occurred at a school, resulting in a melted plastic bottle and a sweet, acidic smell with a pH of approximately 4. The discussion suggests that the explosion may have been caused by a reaction involving household cleaners, particularly those containing Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) and aluminum foil. Participants speculate that students may have conducted unauthorized experiments, leading to the dangerous reaction. The fruity scent noted in the aftermath aligns with the presence of certain fragrant household cleaners.
PREREQUISITESTeachers, school administrators, safety officers, and anyone involved in managing chemical safety in educational environments.
How would you define sweet? Like honey? Flowers? Fruit? Lemons? There are plenty of fragrances in household cleaners. Dimethylbenzene is said to smell sweet, it attacks certain plastics, and is present in certain cleaners, fresheners, and polishes.psimms said:At the school where I teach, we recently had a recycling bin door blow off due to an explosion in a water bottle. Lots of heat was generated as evidenced by the melted, hard plastic and there was a sweet acidic smell to the liquid coating the inside of the bottle. The liquid had a pH of about 4. Any ideas?
Perhaps it involved a household cleaner with a fragrant additive, such as orange or lemon Pine-Sol.psimms said:The sweet smell was fruity.