On 2016/9/21, 10.30 AM there was an explosion in chemical laboratory of Donghua University. Three students who were involved in synthesis of graphene via a chemical method which is widely cited as Hummers’ method faced with this tragic accident in which all of them suffered severe casualty and two of them got serious eye injuries.
I would like to question the scientific background of hummers' method explosion (when adding potassium permanganate) and deeply question the safety of widely used Hummers’ method of synthesis of graphene.
During various Hummers methods Manganium 7 oxide can be produced, it is an explosive liquid. To avoid danger use glasses and gloves. Avoid organic liquids in the reaction fluid, use stirrer - but no splashing please, add permanganate slowly and control the temperature, if it rise above 40-50 C, wait and cool down. It is always safer to perform exothermic reactions in smaller volume, we usually use 1 litre reactor, in big reactors reaction may "run away".
When preparing Graphene oxide by Hummer's method you should add KMnO4 in solution pinch by pinch and keep temperature under 20 degree celsius....
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