From sci.chem Thu Nov 14 17:25:25 1996
From: clarke@web.net.au (Martin Lindsay)
Newsgroups: sci.chem
Subject: Re: Lab Accidents.......
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 12:19:23 GMT

True story from downunder...

A commercial laboratory in QLD set up to assay exploration and mine
samples for the gold mining industry.

One of their methods involved wet ashing of carbon samples using...
Perchloric acid.

Twenty samples, five grams of carbon, 20 mL of HClO4 in each went on
the hotplate while the chemist left the lab for lunch.

The resultant explosion destroyed half the lab including their AA
instrument room.

they went out of business shortly afterwards, but the report on the
accident contained the phrase " The cause of the accident is uncertain
but I strongly recommend that this method be discontinued"

True...