How Not To Handle LN2 101

Wow...if he would have gotten hurt I would have not felt bad.
 
One time I poured some LN2 into latex glove and tied it off. That was fun.
 
What did he expect? A liquid N2 expands approximately at least 1000x into gaseous form.
 
You can pour LN2 over your hand without any effect if you don't do it for too long. The "hot" skin forms a steam cusion kind of thing.

Buuut this is the reason that dry ice in a plastic bottle is counted as a bomb and is illegal in Califonia...:D
 
He'd be just fine due to the Leidenfrost effect. Google it.
But not from the exploding plastic. You need at least garden gloves for that. He's lucky it shattered from the bottom and not into his exposed eyes. That was supremely stupid to do.
 
He'd be just fine due to the Leidenfrost effect. Google it.

That is stupid.
Yes, he would be fine against spatters of LN2, but gasses readily absorb heat, and the phase change beneath the droplet is still very cold.

You can't just pour LN2 in your hand, even though it vaporizes instantly.
 
I am pretty sure surgical gloves do not count as safety equipment. It is a miracle this guy still has fingers. :eek:

It is much safer to not wear gloves while handling small amounts of LN2. The Leidenfrost effect will protect your skin when bare, as previously mentioned, but if you get a few drops inside a glove and trap it near your skin, you can still do serious damage.
 
I was wondering why I haven't seen people pour/store LN2 into plastic containers ;)
 
You can't just pour LN2 in your hand, even though it vaporizes instantly.

You can! Try it! (seriously because the vapor cushion due to extreme difference in temperature it acts as insulation. After a while when your hand cools down this lessens and then you lose your hand.) It's like when you drop droplets of water on a hot stove and they skate around on it.
 
You can! Try it! (seriously because the vapor cushion due to extreme difference in temperature it acts as insulation. After a while when your hand cools down this lessens and then you lose your hand.) It's like when you drop droplets of water on a hot stove and they skate around on it.

You can pour a little LN2 onto your skin because of this, but you can't hold it in your hand and you certainly can't dip your hand in it (as suggested by another poster).
 
A little splash of LN2 on your hands will sting, but is not really a danger. The big problem here is that the guy is not wearing safety glasses, which is really foolish.

I've got 250 L of LN2 in my lab right now. There's a reason that there is a pressure release valve on the tank!
 
Yeah, yeah, the Liendfrost effect will mitigate minor exposure.

But it won't stop his eyes from being obliterated by the exploding container. This guy is a fucking tard. Had he been blinded AND lost a finger or two do to debris or super chilling: good. Lesson learned.

Dumb fuck.
 
You can pour a little LN2 onto your skin because of this, but you can't hold it in your hand and you certainly can't dip your hand in it (as suggested by another poster).

I'm assuming you're referring to me. Here's a video of Nathan Myhrvold doing this during a lecture at Harvard. He does this for the showmanship during basically every one of his presentations (they often make ice cream/sorbets for the audience). When he's done presentations on heat transfer in the past, he explains why he can't similarly stick his hand in a deep fryer. . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcnW49luEGQ at the 47 minute mark. He mentions specific heat and the Leidenfrost effect.

avqpM.png
 
You can pour LN2 over your hand without any effect if you don't do it for too long. The "hot" skin forms a steam cusion kind of thing.

I think the current safety trend is to try to avoid wearing gloves. It's better for a splash to roll off your arm and hand, then it is to roll off your arm and into your glove.
 
The chinese are pretty good with exploding stuff for the most part. Aside from a few exploding chairs here and there.
 
I'm assuming you're referring to me. Here's a video of Nathan Myhrvold doing this during a lecture at Harvard. He does this for the showmanship during basically every one of his presentations (they often make ice cream/sorbets for the audience). When he's done presentations on heat transfer in the past, he explains why he can't similarly stick his hand in a deep fryer. . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcnW49luEGQ at the 47 minute mark. He mentions specific heat and the Leidenfrost effect.

avqpM.png

yes, notice his splish-splashing
 
It's obvious you're grasping at straws now. You've been proven wrong. Accept it.

I'm sorry to butt into the argument this late in the game, but we are talking about a trained scientist with a Ph.D. As shown in several physics classes, professors like to demonstrate this effect, however it is always given with caution, because there a vast amount of people who, if attempting this at home, would most likely lose an appendage. You can not, as it has been stated before, pour LN2 into your hand while cupping it for extended periods of time. This will cause the top most layers of the epidermis to be permanently destroyed and lead to severe medical problems.

Please do not spread rumors that are potentially harmful to readers. LN2 is dangerous and is not something to play with.
 
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