Seperating pure Ether from starter fluid-

[benstern]

Its VERY Dangerous to store- If it forms crystals, gently dispose of it- they are explosive oxides.

Well looks like I found a new way to make explosives!

[ammosmoke]

Now benstern, don't blow yourself up.......

[jimmy101]

Most ether purchased for use in chemical lab's is stabilized to prevent peroxide formation. Usually the preservative is just a trace amount of either water or an antioxidant like BHT (also used to preserve food).

Ether without stabilizers is also available. It is usually package in air tight containers under an inert atmosphere like nitrogen. Frequently, a chemistry supplier will date stamp the container with a "dispose by date", which is a year or two after it was manufactured. The acepted method of disposal is to just dump the ether into a solvent waste can (perhaps along with a small amount of water) and process it with other waste solvents.

When ether does form peroxides it generally forms tiny amounts. The main hazard in a chemical laboratory is when the user runs a reaction in several liters of ether and then removes the ether to isolate their compounds. This concentrates any peroxides present and there is a small chance of getting enough peroxide to cause an explosion. To avoid this, a chemist will frequently wash the ether with water first to remove the peroxides.

[benstern]

I wonder if I could take the starter fluid ether and instantly make explosive peroxides by adding a few drops of some 30% H2O2 I have.

[Fnord]

I know very little about chemistry, but the word "instantly" doesn't usually mix well with the word "explosive"

[MikeNice]

See, and I'm reading that as you making my point for me.

6. Chemistry. noting compounds that readily decompose or change into other compounds.

ether readily decomposes at room temp. and normal atmospheric pressure.

It's cool dude, we'll just have to agree to disagree about it. I still wouldn't use it in a spudgun though. Not with everything else that is so cheap, powerful, ready to use etc.

- Nice

[jimmy101]

See, and I'm reading that as you making my point for me.

6. Chemistry. noting compounds that readily decompose or change into other compounds.

ether readily decomposes at room temp. and normal atmospheric pressure.

It's cool dude, we'll just have to agree to disagree about it. I still wouldn't use it in a spudgun though. Not with everything else that is so cheap, powerful, ready to use etc.

- Nice

I agree, really can't see any reason to use ether when other, easier to use fuels, are available that are dirt cheap.

"ether readily decomposes at room temp. and normal atmospheric pressure." Sorry, but I can't let that statement go. Ether does not decompose at room temperature. It evaporates easily at room temp but so do gasoline, acetone, water etc. Evaporation is not an example of decomposition nor is it an example of a compound changing into a different compound. Evaporation is just an example in a change of state. Ice melting or water evaporating are other examples of a compound changing state.

[sandman]

I aggree with Mr. jimmy, cause it is the truth

if it rapidly decomposed at room temperature, i would have to guess that there would be none on earth

[thespeedycicada]

This is what "readily decomposes at atmospheric pressures is" also known as pyrophoricity.[youtube][/youtube]

[MikeNice]

it's cool guys . . we disagree on this, so be it. Now go ahead and get in the last word.

[ammosmoke]

Ok, um, decompose means to turn into another substance. This could be through burning, subjection to acid or acid producing organisms (i.e. digestion or compost piles). It involves a chemical change. Evaporation does not involve a chemical change. It is a physical change. Lesson 1 you learn is that if you stir salt and pepper together you didn't make saltpepper. It is just salt and pepper mixed together. Just as evaporated ether in air is just air with an unusual concentration of ether gas in it.

[TurboSuper]

This is pretty nifty. It would be pretty good for someone who plans on firing their spudgun frequently over a short period of time, like for a demonstration or something.

Now you just need to devise some sort of transfer system to keep the flow nice and low, I suspect you don't need very much of the stuff.

[redchigh]

Actually, I modified a spray nozzle to release close to a specific amount of liquid in the chamber, close the lid, fan the chamber, and BOOM.

Lately though, I dont seperate it. I just take the CO2 out of the can and use the heptaine/ether mix.

Actually, the ether forms oxides (it reacts with oxygen to form a new compound) So if it's exposed to oxygen, it degrades (Kind of like nitro glycerin or dynomite)

Sure, concentrated oxides are a no-no, but the single oxide can detonate from a physical jolt, detonating the whole canister/jar/spray bottle of ether. Trust me, I looked into it a lot.

Its ok if you only expose small quantities to air at a time.l