The Tour of Collective Wisdom presents:
Pyrophoric and Explosive Reagents


Many lab fires and explosions are caused by the same few common reagents. The list below is provided to emphasize the dangers associated with working with these reagents. However, even if your reagent is not on this list, It could still cause a fire or explosion.

NEW: UCSD Instructional Videos - Working with Pyrophoric Reagents

Check out this new pyrophorics bulletin

To keep accurate data, please come back and record each fire/explosion you witness.

Reagent:
This caused a fire This caused an explosion
Verification:
Reagent Number of eyewitnesses Have you witnessed?
lithium aluminum hydride fires: 204 explosions: 37 fire explosion
sodium metal fires: 180 explosions: 54 fire explosion
Pd/C fires: 177 explosions: 14 fire explosion
tert-butyllithium fires: 158 explosions: 3 fire explosion
sodium hydride fires: 140 explosions: 11 fire explosion
diethyl ether fires: 92 explosions: 13 fire explosion
n-butyl lithium fires: 91 explosions: 4 fire explosion
Potassium Metal fires: 60 explosions: 17 fire explosion
raney nickel (dry) fires: 68 explosions: 3 fire explosion
potassium hydride fires: 59 explosions: 6 fire explosion
NaH (dry, oil free) fires: 52 explosions: 1 fire explosion
trimethyl aluminum (neat) fires: 38 explosions: 5 fire explosion
Hydrocarbon/Aromatic Solvents fires: 28 explosions: 4 fire explosion
dimethylzinc fires: 26 explosions: 3 fire explosion
lithium metal fires: 18 explosions: 5 fire explosion
Et2Zn fires: 21 explosions: 1 fire explosion
methyl/ethyl lithium fires: 19 explosions: 1 fire explosion
palladium hydroxide (dry) fires: 17 explosions: 2 fire explosion
IBX (2-iodoxybenzoic acid) fires: 2 explosions: 15 fire explosion
9-BBN (9-borabicyclononane) fires: 12 explosions: 1 fire explosion
Nitrogen triiodide fires: 0 explosions: 13 fire explosion
sodium hydride fires: 12 explosions: 1 fire explosion
zinc powder fires: 11 explosions: 1 fire explosion
DIBALH (diisobutylaluminum hydride) fires: 9 explosions: 1 fire explosion
Potassium Chlorate fires: 5 explosions: 4 fire explosion
perchloric acid salts fires: 0 explosions: 9 fire explosion
DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) fires: 5 explosions: 3 fire explosion
BH3-SMe2 fires: 6 explosions: 1 fire explosion
Calcium Hydride CaH2 fires: 3 explosions: 4 fire explosion
Pd/C fires: 5 explosions: 1 fire explosion
NaK alloy fires: 4 explosions: 2 fire explosion
mossy zinc fires: 4 explosions: 1 fire explosion
Tollens reagent fires: 0 explosions: 5 fire explosion
TMSOOTMS (trimethylsilyl)2 ether fires: 1 explosions: 4 fire explosion
sodium chlorite / sodium thiosulfate fires: 2 explosions: 2 fire explosion
acetonitrile/NaOH fires: 2 explosions: 2 fire explosion
palladium on alumina (dry state) fires: 3 explosions: 1 fire explosion
sodium azide fires: 1 explosions: 3 fire explosion
ozonide fires: 0 explosions: 4 fire explosion
triallylborane fires: 3 explosions: 1 fire explosion
Nitric acid/Organic waste fires: 0 explosions: 4 fire explosion
Hydrogen Peroxide fires: 1 explosions: 3 fire explosion
titanium tetrachloride fires: 0 explosions: 3 fire explosion
Rh/alumina fires: 0 explosions: 3 fire explosion
lithium 2,6-difluoroanilide fires: 0 explosions: 3 fire explosion
dimethyl boron bromide fires: 0 explosions: 3 fire explosion
Chromocene fires: 1 explosions: 2 fire explosion
trimethyl boron bromide fires: 0 explosions: 3 fire explosion
methyl lithium-lithium bromide fires: 2 explosions: 1 fire explosion
Thionyl chloride fires: 0 explosions: 3 fire explosion
Phosphorus oxychloride fires: 0 explosions: 3 fire explosion
N-methyl-N-nitrosourea fires: 1 explosions: 2 fire explosion
1,1-dilithioferrocene fires: 2 explosions: 1 fire explosion
CO2Cl2 fires: 0 explosions: 3 fire explosion
propargyl bromide fires: 0 explosions: 2 fire explosion
hypophosphorous acid anhydrous fires: 2 explosions: 0 fire explosion
AlCl3 fires: 0 explosions: 2 fire explosion
sodium chlorite fires: 0 explosions: 2 fire explosion
bromosilane fires: 0 explosions: 2 fire explosion
Diazomethane fires: 0 explosions: 2 fire explosion
Triflyl Azide (TfN3) fires: 0 explosions: 2 fire explosion
TiCl4 fires: 0 explosions: 2 fire explosion