Remember it is acid over water not water over acid. Acid is thicker than water so placing acid over water is more save than the other way around because since water is lighter, it can be easily turned into steam and turn the vial into a fragment grenade. One person at my school suffered such an injury except it might have been with pure magnisium and water.
its probably the gases in his eyes and lungs same for the glass that exploded that would have been the major part if the gases couldnt kill him nor the explosion
Even if it did, that would just leave a lot of hydrogen that does not require much to cause it to explode....the heat from all the sodium & oxygen binding is enough.
The explosion itself may not be, but the reaction that causes the explosion may release toxic gases that might be fatal in even small amounts.
Phosgene for example, can be fatal at levels of only 2 parts per million. Basically if you inhale a million molecules of air and two of them are this gas you could die.
the best way for him to deal with that situation is simply throw the beaker in a garbage can, put a chair over the garbage can, and let the beaker explode. Afterwards, turn on the lab fume hoods and evacuate everyone.
i was thinking that too. this is wut they should do: either make an emergency exit in each registered chemistry room or at least have them on the first floor. if it wasn't a stairwell away from the door he could have walked out of that in a jiffy.
But enough time for running through the whole building?
It's evident that it's not very clever to hold this beaker with reacting sodium in the hands, till it explodes. 1m distance should have been enough WITH protection-glasses or hiding the eyes.
According to someone who went to that school, the distance down the hall to the stairs was exaggerated to build up suspense for the re-enactment. In real life, the classroom was right next to the staircase.
I was too young (8 going on 9), living near Hillside High at the time, to remember this happening though... but I read about it on Wikipedia a while back.
Yeah, I've noticed there are a lot of Indian immigrants coming to the US. My psychiatrist is indian, a lot of doctors are indian, and there are also teachers that are indian.
They probably filmed the re-enactment in summer or fall. There are some re-enactments where you can tell they filmed it in a different season that the incident happened. "Toppled Trans Am", "911 Knoxville Intruder", and "Cop Saves Dog" are a few examples.
It would have caused all of the other chemicals in the room to go off and cause an even bigger explosion. He did the right thing to try to get the chemicals out of the school and away from any other chemicals.
WOW, there musta been a lot of sodium in there for that big explosion. We did this stuff in school with a chunk the size of a peach pit. threw it in the water, and it exploded 10 feet from us in the beaker. no one was hurt but wow. This Chemistry teacher should have just placed it on the floor outside the room and cleared the hall, but WOW, really HOW MUCH sodium was in there?
Sodium reacts exothermically with water: small pea-sized pieces will bounce across the surface of the water until they are consumed by it, whereas large pieces will explode. While sodium reacts with water at room temperature, the sodium piece melts with the heat of the reaction to form a sphere, if the reacting sodium piece is large enough. The reaction with water produces very caustic sodium hydroxide (lye) and highly flammable hydrogen gas.
I may not know a thing about chemistry, but if that beaker was still in that chemistry room where it started smoking with all the other chemicals, it would've been worse then this. It's a good thing that other teacher used the emergency eye wash in the other science room after the beaker exploded in his face. Otherwise he probably would have been blind for the rest of his life. I think that all who would take chemistry should watch this and be aware of all chimicals used in all science labs.
Thats why you should´t let construction workers pack away the chemicals...always let things like that be done by people who know what they´re dealing with...then you won´t have to clean up the mess.
i could have just told everyone to get out of the washing room and closed and lock off the door and wait for the beaker to explode, rather than running all the way off the hallway holding the ticking beaker.
There were other chemicals in the room. There wasn't enough time to evacuate. There was no way to foretell the severity of the explosion and the building was occupied with hundreds of students and faculty. He took the quickest and safest action by trying to remove the threat from the building and running to an open area outside. He saved the lives of everyone in the building and was lucky to survive. And you would have just left it there?
2Na + 2H2O = 2NaOH + H2 Did I balance that right? In layman's terms, Sodium + Water = Sodium hydroxide (lye) and hydrogen gas. This reaction produces heat, igniting the hydrogen gas to create the explosion. A small chunk of this stuff can be quite dangerous.
This stuff tends to react fast, but I understand that he didn't have to run so far...
All those chemicals in that room, especially in the condition they were in, could have posed a SIGNIFICANT health/explosion hazard.
Yes,the workers were idiots. All the chemicals should have been boxed up & stored properly. Everyone in the lab should have worn safety glasses and a shop coat & gloves when putting away the chemicals. I commend the teacher as a real hero getting the chemical out of the school. He was only thinking of his students safety and not the extreme danger he was in. Had everyone wore safety glases, this explosion might have been different.
I was a student at this school when it happened and I never saw this video. I had Mr. Chinchilla for chemistry and I might have respected him then but I truly give him honor today, 19 years after this took place. God bless you, Mr. Chinchilla!
He is, but what if that reaction had happened more rapidly. and one or more of the students where blinded,
IS that situation ok, having unskilled students cleaning up volatile chemicals? oh yeah all this happened like 20 years ago or something, I hope similar things are not happening.
The school should not have asked the teachers or students to do this kind of work. With unlabled, open, corrosive and volatile chemicals all dumped together, today this would be a HAZMAT job. I don't know if they had HAZMAT 20 years ago, but probably there were professionals who were qualified to do this sort of thing safely.
I'm a chemist and I can't believe the number of errors made. Why was he trying to clean up a mess like that without proper equipment - goggles, gloves and a labcoat? The biggest error was trying to carry the sodium out of the school. The best thing to do would be to pull the fire alarm to evacuate the building. The explosion may have caused some damage to the room, but it would be impossible to blow up the entire school even if it set off other chemicals (which is unlikely). Hero - not.
reminds me of something that happened when i was in high school. in Chemistry class once, the teacher dropped a thing full of this shit [i can't remember what it was], and she yelled "HOLY SHIT! EVERYONE GET THE FUCK OUT!!!", and they had to get the place de-contaminated. We got a few days off school, and now there's a huge burn mark on the floor in the science lab.
The sodium would have also been very heated, even melted, by the reaction. The heat can ignite the hydrogen released in the reaction (that's what caused the explosion). So he had a mix of "burning" molten metal, glass shards, and sodium hydroxide (lye) sprayed into his face. And the sodium would have continued to react with water in his flesh, burning it further.
All in all, it's about the worst possible type of thing to have explode in your face.
It's the other chemicals,and the combination of all those chemicals that COULD cause a MAJOR explosion.But BACK to the point at hand,taking the stairwell was the only viable option he had that would guarentee the kids safety,and guarentee that the other chemicals don't aren't involved in the situation.He is a hero.
Being the stairwell was right next to the classroom it gave him the fastest way out of the classroom.He had no idea WHEN it would explode.If it would've explode in 10 seconds he would'nt have had the window open in time.
This man is a bonafide hero and one of the few remarkable people we have left on this world, if he is still alive today that is.
I want to address a few things with people that have posted some unthought comments. And aren't reading other posts apparently when corrected. Let's remember this happened in 1989, not 2008.I was 9 years old when this happened and I can tell you from my school windows in elementary school back then were a pain in the butt to open
Yeah i can understand why people say 'just throw it out of the window' but i guess he was thinking health and safety, as it may have been dangerous, even just leaving it in the stairway
Someone who used to go to this school commented and said that the windows in the building are old and take a long time to open. Also, I think that reaction happens faster in real life, and they drew it out to make the re-enactment more suspenseful. The person who went to the school said that the actual distance from the classroom to the exit wasn't as far as they made it look. The commenter was solfdaggen, you can find it if you view all comments.
Comment removed
jediskunk67 2 years ago
i think thats what they use in the armys? flash bangs?
Three60mania 2 years ago 12
well screw taking the beaker outside, evacuate the freakin classroom!
BFMVpwnage5168 2 years ago
it wouldnt of just effect the classroom it would of effected the WHOLE school
Rachiann 2 years ago 15
some of these are so touching, brings a tear to your eye.
richyloike 2 years ago 47
ALWAYS wear safety goggles and gloves, if not more.
Well.. That's why.
He should have evaquated the room...?
Serostern 2 years ago 55
i agree with ou that is what i would of said
Rachiann 2 years ago 6
Always be careful when handling sodium methyl. NEVER let it come in contact with air or water unless you have the necessary safety equipment.
DReifGalaxyM31 2 years ago 5
It was most likely Sodium "Metal" not Sodium Methyl.
ChuckJones1989 2 years ago 17
Oh he is recovering . Thank God. :-)
I wanted to cry sooo sad
LifeisDeep00 2 years ago 6
This is soooo Sad I hope he is ok
LifeisDeep00 2 years ago 5
what happened? is the teacher still teaching or was he blinded by the explosion
no8do2008 2 years ago 4
I never knew this, William Shatner wears a Toupee.
Fartingbellybutton 2 years ago 5
Remember it is acid over water not water over acid. Acid is thicker than water so placing acid over water is more save than the other way around because since water is lighter, it can be easily turned into steam and turn the vial into a fragment grenade. One person at my school suffered such an injury except it might have been with pure magnisium and water.
renjixsan 2 years ago 6
This is why you should care for teachers but they also should appreciate windows to
jamin108 2 years ago 4
According to an older comment from someone who went to that school, the windows in that building were old and took a long time to open.
allgood2000 2 years ago
its probably the gases in his eyes and lungs same for the glass that exploded that would have been the major part if the gases couldnt kill him nor the explosion
pwnmaster77 2 years ago
wouldnt the little drops of water have run out of oxygen atoms by than, due to the sodium binding with oxygen
SoldierFrontJunky 2 years ago
Even if it did, that would just leave a lot of hydrogen that does not require much to cause it to explode....the heat from all the sodium & oxygen binding is enough.
DeltaFoxtrotWhiskey3 2 years ago
wouldnt it just smoke slowly, the hydrogen wouldnt build up THAT much
SoldierFrontJunky 2 years ago
he should leave it in an empty room.. reactive metal explosion is no big deal.. but if you are holding it, it could be deathly
lewy0701 2 years ago
The explosion itself may not be, but the reaction that causes the explosion may release toxic gases that might be fatal in even small amounts.
Phosgene for example, can be fatal at levels of only 2 parts per million. Basically if you inhale a million molecules of air and two of them are this gas you could die.
DeltaFoxtrotWhiskey3 2 years ago
Why doesn't he throw it out the window?
GarfieldVsSnoopy 2 years ago 8
He Could have killed someone walking by if he throws it out the window.
Fartingbellybutton 2 years ago 5
thats why u look 1st, but if class was in session, then there should b no one out there, so chuck (norris) it.
Tuckerx78 2 years ago
Teachers are heroes!!!!
HorseCrazyDaisy 2 years ago 2
thats got to hurt
cutegirl1223334444 2 years ago 3
I go to the school where durham high school is now Durham School of the arts
RollerCoasterTycoon8 2 years ago
Oh wow, we watched this in health class in I believe 9th grade. Amazing story.
MontySmith88 2 years ago 4
I think this would be a good story to show in a science class!
DorvellTStewart 2 years ago 5
Throwing out of the window on the lawn might be too easy.
Chaoschemiker 2 years ago
too deadly also
robbiebratcher3 2 years ago
God, just dumping chemicals together like that. How could people be so stupid!
Mixing chemicals together can create some pretty hardcore shit....
STG44musikmeister 3 years ago 12
the best way for him to deal with that situation is simply throw the beaker in a garbage can, put a chair over the garbage can, and let the beaker explode. Afterwards, turn on the lab fume hoods and evacuate everyone.
WPUpioneer 3 years ago 5
All the students have to leave school early because of that right?
timtru01 3 years ago
Why aren't teachers and paramedics paid better than they are? Look at what they do!
NUlatino203 3 years ago 5
My thoughts exactly!
DorvellTStewart 2 years ago
gave me chills =l
Nicole4ever74 3 years ago
wouldn't have been better to just evacuate the room
mewrox99 3 years ago
i was thinking that too. this is wut they should do: either make an emergency exit in each registered chemistry room or at least have them on the first floor. if it wasn't a stairwell away from the door he could have walked out of that in a jiffy.
gossamer93 3 years ago 2
theres was no time for that
robbiebratcher3 2 years ago
But enough time for running through the whole building?
It's evident that it's not very clever to hold this beaker with reacting sodium in the hands, till it explodes. 1m distance should have been enough WITH protection-glasses or hiding the eyes.
Chaoschemiker 2 years ago
According to someone who went to that school, the distance down the hall to the stairs was exaggerated to build up suspense for the re-enactment. In real life, the classroom was right next to the staircase.
allgood2000 2 years ago 3
oh ok
jamin108 2 years ago
I wish that chemistry teacher could have worn safety goggles, so the chemicals wouldn't get into his eyes after the beaker exploded.
discoweasel1977 3 years ago 2
He didn't have time to put on safety goggles as you saw.
triezen007 3 years ago
BTW... I live near DHS/DSA!
I miss not seeing "Durham High School" around.
Those were the days.
=(
I was too young (8 going on 9), living near Hillside High at the time, to remember this happening though... but I read about it on Wikipedia a while back.
porn0graffiK 3 years ago
Lol, if those kids hadn't of been splashing that water around and goofing off, the sodium wouldn't have ever exploded in that guys face
LordHampster 3 years ago
Maybe, but the moisture already present in the air could also have set it off.
DorvellTStewart 3 years ago
this guy is indian man
dangerrulz 3 years ago
so what?
hatedwayne 3 years ago 3
Yeah, I've noticed there are a lot of Indian immigrants coming to the US. My psychiatrist is indian, a lot of doctors are indian, and there are also teachers that are indian.
Duvmasta 3 years ago
why fuking hate natives?
Nicole4ever74 3 years ago
like i always said in high school, and even today in college ... chemistry is evil.
mizzpenguin5683 3 years ago
When the principal's closing interview is shown, she sounds more like she's reading something rather than just talking.
DorvellTStewart 3 years ago
Gezz that got to hurt bad Yikes!!
anamallover 3 years ago 4
Notice that someone was wearing shorts and short sleve shirt. It's not that warm in January, especially in North Carolina
davinp 3 years ago 18
They probably filmed the re-enactment in summer or fall. There are some re-enactments where you can tell they filmed it in a different season that the incident happened. "Toppled Trans Am", "911 Knoxville Intruder", and "Cop Saves Dog" are a few examples.
allgood2000 2 years ago 12
What was Toppled Trans am season?
GarfieldVsSnoopy 2 years ago
Toppled Trans AM took place in July, but you can tell it was filmed in winter.
allgood2000 2 years ago 5
one of the minuses was that those chemicals did not have any tops and labels
the teacher is still a hero , he risked his life to save those students
it is great he survived
liljana21 3 years ago
he should have left the beaker in the room and then evacuate it
TheYellowTaxi 3 years ago
It would have exploded several other rooms as well.
abagayle11 3 years ago 8
It would have caused all of the other chemicals in the room to go off and cause an even bigger explosion. He did the right thing to try to get the chemicals out of the school and away from any other chemicals.
KittyKarryAll 3 years ago 7
I wish they had shown the HAZMAT crews in operation for that call. I'm assuming they came too.
OneSkiWonder 3 years ago
the movers are the cause. Why would they just throw chemicals together like that?!?!?!
Karasu118 3 years ago
Because they didn't know. The teacher did know that is why he tried to remove it from the building.
OneSkiWonder 3 years ago
...and where the hell is the fume hood in this ghetto lab???????
spartydrew5 3 years ago
those construction workers were probably dumb ACC grads
oh wait...im assuming they went to college...
spartydrew5 3 years ago
yeah, but now it is Durham School of the Arts, they just changed the name
courtjac3 3 years ago
WOW, there musta been a lot of sodium in there for that big explosion. We did this stuff in school with a chunk the size of a peach pit. threw it in the water, and it exploded 10 feet from us in the beaker. no one was hurt but wow. This Chemistry teacher should have just placed it on the floor outside the room and cleared the hall, but WOW, really HOW MUCH sodium was in there?
chrismollcdx1012 3 years ago
The sign on his door says Mr. Chittilla.
How do you pronounce that?
happy7117 3 years ago
"Shi-teel-yuh"
porn0graffiK 3 years ago
Mr. Chinchilla doesn't work there anymore
courtjac3 3 years ago 4
I know someone that goes to this school that had Mr. Chinchilla for Chemistry.. and he's VERY old now
WPUpioneer 3 years ago 4
OMG we currently go to dat skool and just so u know we still have the same black science tables! And the windows still don't open!
courtjac3 3 years ago 2
it exploded in his face just when he made it to the front door. THAT SUCKED!!
pinheadfan87 3 years ago 4
Sodium reacts exothermically with water: small pea-sized pieces will bounce across the surface of the water until they are consumed by it, whereas large pieces will explode. While sodium reacts with water at room temperature, the sodium piece melts with the heat of the reaction to form a sphere, if the reacting sodium piece is large enough. The reaction with water produces very caustic sodium hydroxide (lye) and highly flammable hydrogen gas.
Im1man 3 years ago
I think he should have just tossed the beaker out the window.
pinheadfan87 3 years ago 5
why didn't he just throw it out a window instead of walking down 67 flights of stairs with it
Derek799 3 years ago 3
I was just thinking the same thing... even if there wasn't a window in that room, he could get to one easier than running down all those stairs.
missyjay6 3 years ago
i went to that school when it happende you could not open the windows
lordvader2822 3 years ago
I may not know a thing about chemistry, but if that beaker was still in that chemistry room where it started smoking with all the other chemicals, it would've been worse then this. It's a good thing that other teacher used the emergency eye wash in the other science room after the beaker exploded in his face. Otherwise he probably would have been blind for the rest of his life. I think that all who would take chemistry should watch this and be aware of all chimicals used in all science labs.
1985Nebraska 3 years ago 4
Thats why you should´t let construction workers pack away the chemicals...always let things like that be done by people who know what they´re dealing with...then you won´t have to clean up the mess.
skiljathegirl 3 years ago 2
NEVER MIX CHEMICALS!!!!
PineBrookMotorLodge 3 years ago 7
i could have just told everyone to get out of the washing room and closed and lock off the door and wait for the beaker to explode, rather than running all the way off the hallway holding the ticking beaker.
squall600 3 years ago
There were other chemicals in the room. There wasn't enough time to evacuate. There was no way to foretell the severity of the explosion and the building was occupied with hundreds of students and faculty. He took the quickest and safest action by trying to remove the threat from the building and running to an open area outside. He saved the lives of everyone in the building and was lucky to survive. And you would have just left it there?
harperusa 3 years ago 3
that would SUCK if it was thermite btw what a f'n hero
koolx4 3 years ago 3
More like thanks mr titilla for exposing us to hazzards as free labour.
Teflonmonkeyjumps 3 years ago
that kids a hero!!!!
YOU GO DUDE!!!
jackiemackie97 3 years ago
2Na + 2H2O = 2NaOH + H2 Did I balance that right? In layman's terms, Sodium + Water = Sodium hydroxide (lye) and hydrogen gas. This reaction produces heat, igniting the hydrogen gas to create the explosion. A small chunk of this stuff can be quite dangerous.
This stuff tends to react fast, but I understand that he didn't have to run so far...
All those chemicals in that room, especially in the condition they were in, could have posed a SIGNIFICANT health/explosion hazard.
This guy is a hero.
mellogirl 3 years ago 5
wow your pretty smart
not that i'm dumb i'm learning how to build robots soon
like to help people with no arms
but your VERY smart!
jackiemackie97 3 years ago
When I first saw this on Discovery Health I might have scared me when the beaker exploded, because it was scary to see that happen.
1f5sda 3 years ago
Comment removed
1f5sda 3 years ago
Yes,the workers were idiots. All the chemicals should have been boxed up & stored properly. Everyone in the lab should have worn safety glasses and a shop coat & gloves when putting away the chemicals. I commend the teacher as a real hero getting the chemical out of the school. He was only thinking of his students safety and not the extreme danger he was in. Had everyone wore safety glases, this explosion might have been different.
AFGSANFORD2 3 years ago 5
I bet the camera crews asked if there's gonna be a firedrill and used that opportunity to film this segment along with the actual firedrill?
gregorkrause 3 years ago
The teacher was too little too late when he tried to get that smoking beaker out of the school.
discoweasel1977 3 years ago
it looked like a cartoon when it exploded!!
nascarandamdrag 3 years ago
lol
kevinfart1 3 years ago
What if there was a busy signal when 911 was called what would happen
travelplus1 3 years ago
The movers who packed those boxes were idiots. And yes, the chemicals should have been disposed of by hazardous waste specialists.
pelargir1 3 years ago 3
Oh my gosh!
DorvellTStewart 3 years ago 2
In chemisty the chemmicals can chage your body.
Melmonkey89 3 years ago
I was a student at this school when it happened and I never saw this video. I had Mr. Chinchilla for chemistry and I might have respected him then but I truly give him honor today, 19 years after this took place. God bless you, Mr. Chinchilla!
Mercer3633 3 years ago 5
I passed chemistry and I know alot about the hazards at labs.
Melmonkey89 3 years ago
wow! that man is really brave to risk his own life for his students.
poprocks184 3 years ago 3
YIKES. Sodium metal + water = REALLY FUCKING BAD
VFB1210 3 years ago 4
OK,this is why we were googles!!!
and why i hate chemistry
but THANK GOD FOR THAT STUDENT!!!
he is a true hero
jackiemackie97 3 years ago
He is, but what if that reaction had happened more rapidly. and one or more of the students where blinded,
IS that situation ok, having unskilled students cleaning up volatile chemicals? oh yeah all this happened like 20 years ago or something, I hope similar things are not happening.
Teflonmonkeyjumps 3 years ago
you can't blinded with googles!
:)
jackiemackie97 3 years ago
you can still breath in a poison gas if the wrong things mix.
Teflonmonkeyjumps 3 years ago
yep,you just have to get out in time
jackiemackie97 3 years ago
im not trying to be mean or a smart-alc but that guy that had acid all over his face waz the teacher
victoriaanoza 3 years ago
i know
jackiemackie97 3 years ago
i blame the kid that threw the water in the beacker
sicko854 3 years ago 5
ok after listening to what the student said at the beggining the chemicals where unsafe then they should have been thorwn out in my opion
cfegirl 3 years ago
He burned his eyeballs! Yikes!
meggiemeg86 3 years ago 4
The school should not have asked the teachers or students to do this kind of work. With unlabled, open, corrosive and volatile chemicals all dumped together, today this would be a HAZMAT job. I don't know if they had HAZMAT 20 years ago, but probably there were professionals who were qualified to do this sort of thing safely.
srubi74 3 years ago 4
I'm a chemist and I can't believe the number of errors made. Why was he trying to clean up a mess like that without proper equipment - goggles, gloves and a labcoat? The biggest error was trying to carry the sodium out of the school. The best thing to do would be to pull the fire alarm to evacuate the building. The explosion may have caused some damage to the room, but it would be impossible to blow up the entire school even if it set off other chemicals (which is unlikely). Hero - not.
cyanoschyzon 3 years ago
He IS a hero, screw you bastard.
RogueKnight12866 3 years ago
Now there's an intellegent comment. By the way - wrong sex.
cyanoschyzon 3 years ago
I agree goggles are a must when dealing with chemicals. This accident could have been avoided.
AdamSprPl 3 years ago
Good man. Risking his life and everything.
reminds me of something that happened when i was in high school. in Chemistry class once, the teacher dropped a thing full of this shit [i can't remember what it was], and she yelled "HOLY SHIT! EVERYONE GET THE FUCK OUT!!!", and they had to get the place de-contaminated. We got a few days off school, and now there's a huge burn mark on the floor in the science lab.
wilkes85 3 years ago 5
Chemistry classes are dangerous!!! NO ONE should take them!!!
PineBrookMotorLodge 3 years ago
well you NEED Chemistry classes to Friggin learn!!!
i don't mean to be rude
but you can cure illness
or help people
mistakes are made
but you have to LEARN FRIGGIN SAFETY!!!!
jackiemackie97 3 years ago
I'm not that smart; I just had chemistry last school year AND paid attention (favorite class!).
And the rule is: If you're not wearing your goggles, the teacher gets to poke you in the eye. O.O lol. Works, though
mellogirl 3 years ago
really,lucky you
we get hit 50 TIMES
if we don't wear our goggles
WITH A RULER!!!! its scared a 4 year old kid bad!
thats why he got his mom and dad to fire the teacher
he was doing something wrong, VERY WRONG!!!
jackiemackie97 3 years ago 2
NEVER messing around in the chemistry lab, =NEVER.
Autobahn815 3 years ago 6
The poor man.
KatonNeko 3 years ago
Wicked -and he had kids too. I think in my high school the teachers would've ditched and laughed as we all burned up...
Good man.
LucyShy 3 years ago
3:13 wtf is she saying haha
SodiumCyanide 3 years ago
"There's been an accident away in the science club, call 9-1-1 when I'm done..."
TornadoMan86 3 years ago
Alkaline sodium hydroxide resulted from the reaction between water and sodium, and that's what burned his eyes.
TornadoMan86 3 years ago 2
Wow, you know your chemistry.
KatonNeko 3 years ago 2
Thank you, KatoNeko.
TornadoMan86 3 years ago
You missed the N in Katon.
KatonNeko 3 years ago 2
The sodium would have also been very heated, even melted, by the reaction. The heat can ignite the hydrogen released in the reaction (that's what caused the explosion). So he had a mix of "burning" molten metal, glass shards, and sodium hydroxide (lye) sprayed into his face. And the sodium would have continued to react with water in his flesh, burning it further.
All in all, it's about the worst possible type of thing to have explode in your face.
jmmahony 3 years ago 2
Always wear your safety glasses in chemistry class!
Tylakk 3 years ago 4
It seems dangerous to do what he did. If it were me, I'd probably throw the beaker out a window or something like that. This looked risky.
Jibjub80 3 years ago 3
the classroom where the lady took him to is Mrs.Shinn's room! My math class!
flirtygirl719 3 years ago 2
i would put on some gloes because that could burn your skin!!!
maplewood4 3 years ago 4
HA I dont live that far from Durham.
BartmanMC 3 years ago 5
omg thats my school!!
Dramattic123 3 years ago 7
Omg!!!
sarcasmismylife 3 years ago 4
If you go to the school now in that building, you see that some doors say "Dangerous Chemicals"
Just thought I would point that out.
Pyrosoul 3 years ago 5
This would definitely be a good video 2 use in a chemistry class
TTBurger88 3 years ago 5
I read that if bleach and ammonia are mixed together, the reaction can make the fumes burn the eyes and lungs.
1f5sda 3 years ago 4
william shatner IS MY HERO!
MothraSky 3 years ago 9
This happened in 1989 NOT 1998.
lkhay 3 years ago 3
2:26 wuz REALLY bright
poyosayskirby 3 years ago
You'd think that the "lesson learnt" would be to ALWAYS wear protective glasses when dealing with any chemicals. eesh.
cwistaff 3 years ago
i was born 20 year age so it happened 18 years age not 9 years if it was 1998 it would of been 9 years
baseballxxxxx 3 years ago
Bleach and Ammonia...dont ever EVER mix those
0021rawr 3 years ago
the kid who blow up his hand with a fire cracker would be dumb enough to mix bleach and ammonia
baseballxxxxx 3 years ago 2
ohh so close to the door to
platypusernumber2 4 years ago 4
It's the other chemicals,and the combination of all those chemicals that COULD cause a MAJOR explosion.But BACK to the point at hand,taking the stairwell was the only viable option he had that would guarentee the kids safety,and guarentee that the other chemicals don't aren't involved in the situation.He is a hero.
Outkasted1980 4 years ago 6
Being the stairwell was right next to the classroom it gave him the fastest way out of the classroom.He had no idea WHEN it would explode.If it would've explode in 10 seconds he would'nt have had the window open in time.
Outkasted1980 4 years ago 3
This man is a bonafide hero and one of the few remarkable people we have left on this world, if he is still alive today that is.
I want to address a few things with people that have posted some unthought comments. And aren't reading other posts apparently when corrected. Let's remember this happened in 1989, not 2008.I was 9 years old when this happened and I can tell you from my school windows in elementary school back then were a pain in the butt to open
Outkasted1980 4 years ago 9
Interesting story!
1f5sda 4 years ago
This aired on the day I was born.
fretter31 4 years ago
That is so cool!
1f5sda 4 years ago
that poor man.
oh my gosh
he would be my hero!
blaze766 4 years ago 7
He is a #1 lifesaver in my opinion! I agree with you he was a hero. I hope that you are doing okay!
1f5sda 4 years ago 4
Agreed! At least he saved the school!
1f5sda 4 years ago 6
IMO this segment would be more dramatic if it included a commercial break just as it exploded...
itsalleternal 4 years ago
What a lifesaving teacher!
1f5sda 4 years ago 5
May God be with that teacher!
1f5sda 4 years ago
Yeah i can understand why people say 'just throw it out of the window' but i guess he was thinking health and safety, as it may have been dangerous, even just leaving it in the stairway
ozain24 4 years ago 3
Someone who used to go to this school commented and said that the windows in the building are old and take a long time to open. Also, I think that reaction happens faster in real life, and they drew it out to make the re-enactment more suspenseful. The person who went to the school said that the actual distance from the classroom to the exit wasn't as far as they made it look. The commenter was solfdaggen, you can find it if you view all comments.
allgood2000 4 years ago
I saw part of this on TV. Thanks for uploading!
1f5sda 4 years ago