motorfirebox Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Hey all, I'm writing a story that, in part, depicts an accidental fire at a pool supply store similar to this one. I have done some research, but I'm extremely uneducated on this topic—calling me an amateur would insult amateurs. In my version of this event, a 1-lb bag of pool shock (calcium hypochlorite [Ca(ClO)2]) falls into an open tub of pool disinfectant (a mix of trichloroisocyanuric acid [C3Cl3N3O3] and soda ash [Na2CO3]). Nothing happens at this point, because the pool shock is contained in its bag. However, a leaky roof allows rainwater to drip into the tub of TCCA. The TCCA reacts to the moisture by producing heat (enough to light nearby paper or wood, from what I've read) and toxic fumes including nitrogen trichloride [NCl3]. The heat melts the bag containing the pool shock. The pool shock and the TCCA react to release an explosive, flammable gas, which is ignited by the heat from the TCCA/water reaction. The above paragraph sums up everything I know about this set of reactions. As far as I'm able to tell, it's accurate. I'd really like some more specific information, though. For instance, what exactly does TCCA produce when it reacts with water, aside from the nitrogen trichloride? For that matter, what exactly does the reaction between TCCA and calcium hypochlorite produce? Am I perhaps overdoing things by having the bag of pool shock present—would rainwater landing in the TCCA be enough to start the fire? Would exposing more pool shock (two bags, four bags, whatever) to the TCCA produce a worse fire? Thanks for any information you guys can provide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogeryermaw Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Chloramine is a likely product. I can't find info on its flammability(on my phone) but NH2Cl can decompose explosively in high concentrations. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogeryermaw Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 i was doing some reading on this reaction and remembered that i have a friend at sciencemadness who did some small scale experimentation with these reactants. maybe this thread will answer some of your questions: http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=24659 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Remember that in a good story the reader can ignore reality and read the book. James Bond's revolver holds five more rounds than the baddie, and his automatic fires rounds even if the mag is empty, but we still read the books and see the films. Cancel out any detail that would show up your lack of knowledge, "some chemicals mixed and a fire ensued" is credible and doesn't give away anything that terrorists could use, and doesn't show up your lack of chemistry skills -after all you are an author. Your SPAG should be better than my chemistry. Certainly in the UK there is a lot of work put into medical (TV) stories NOT to make "DIY surgery for amateurs training vids"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorfirebox Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 (edited) i was doing some reading on this reaction and remembered that i have a friend at sciencemadness who did some small scale experimentation with these reactants. maybe this thread will answer some of your questions: http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=24659Oh, awesome find. Thanks. Remember that in a good story the reader can ignore reality and read the book. James Bond's revolver holds five more rounds than the baddie, and his automatic fires rounds even if the mag is empty, but we still read the books and see the films. Cancel out any detail that would show up your lack of knowledge, "some chemicals mixed and a fire ensued" is credible and doesn't give away anything that terrorists could use, and doesn't show up your lack of chemistry skills -after all you are an author. Your SPAG should be better than my chemistry. Certainly in the UK there is a lot of work put into medical (TV) stories NOT to make "DIY surgery for amateurs training vids"!Ha, yeah, I'm not suuuuuper worried about getting every detail exactly right, since none of the characters involved are any more chemistry experts than I am. I just want to have a good grasp on this particular reaction so I can write about it in terms that are vague but still basically correct. Edited October 2, 2014 by motorfirebox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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