Chemical Properties and States of Matter

As emergency responders, knowing the physical states of matter and their physical properties benefits us tremendously.  Whether an process uses a few chemicals, or a few thousand chemicals, being educated on them is always beneficial.   As most of us know, chemicals can be in either solid, liquid, or gas form.  These are referred to as the sate of matter.  The state of matter can change the properties of that particular substance.  For example, when water is in liquid form, it will form to the shape of its container.  When water is in its solid form, or ice, it is hard and will not fit to the shape of its container until it melts again. 

Chemicals may be toxic, but while in liquid form in a container and not in anyway in contact with your body they can be safe.  But, that chemical may be extremely harmful to your body if it evaporates into a gas and you breathe it in.  That chemical may have a boiling point at or below room temperature, which means it will evaporate by itself.  In this situation the chemical can be in the air and you would not even be aware.  Flashpoint is another chemical property you need to be aware of when dealing with various chemicals.  The flash point of a chemical is the lowest temperature where enough fluid can evaporate to form a combustible concentration of gas.  This can be very dangerous in an occupational setting, especially in closed structures like a building.  There are many chemicals that may reach a combustible level in the air and not be detectable prior.  One very dangerous gas that can do this is Oxygen.   Natural Gas is another commonly encountered gas that can cause unplanned combustion.  The gas company puts a scent in natural gas so a homeowner or employee can detect its presence when leaked and take immediate action. 

Mixtures can be very dangerous in an industrial or laboratory setting, but also in your own home.  For example bleach and ammonia are two common household chemicals.  When mixed together, they two chemicals form toxic chloramine vapor.  It is scenarios like this one that can result if we are not aware of the properties of the chemicals we are using.  As an emergency responder, we can benefit from the knowledge of chemical properties in the event of a fire.  There are different types of fire extinguishers, all of which serve their own purpose.  For example, if you have an electrical fire, you will probably want to use a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher.  But lets say you grab a foam fire extinguisher and spray it at the flame, well you may not have the best of luck.  Or lets say you have a grease/cooking oil fire, you should grab a wet chemical fire extinguisher.   If you mistakenly grab a water fire extinguisher, you may just be spreading the fire around.  It is very important to know the properties of a chemical when dealing with different types of waste in an industrial/occupational setting as well.  You may be storing this waste in containers for a certain period of time.  This waste may in fact be acidic or corrosive.  So in this scenario you will have to make sure you have the proper container to store this chemical in, for however long you need to store it for.  For all these reasons, we can see why it is so crucial to have an understanding of chemical properties and states of matter.