A nasty experience with superglue.

[Bealman]

I have used superglue for years, and am aware that it's CA based and is quite nasty stuff.

But this is new to me, and caught me by surprise and left me feeling slightly ill.

My wife has a pair of thong type sandals, which are just about past their use by date, but she likes them.

Anyway, the sole had flopped loose, so I said a liberal dash of superglue would extend their life a bit longer.

So (on the kitchen table), I started with the glue. There is a black plastic rim with some sort of white padding (I assume synthetic) under the sole.

The rims, no problem, but as soon as I squeezed glue onto the white stuff, white smoke was emitted! This was new to me - I've never experienced that before.

I copped a faceful of it,, and immediately ran outside (the kitchen door was open). It has left me feeling a little queasy!

Obviously some kind of chemical reaction, but it's never happened before in all my years of using the stuff.

Just wondering if any members have experienced a similar incident, or if we have a chemist who can shed light on this.

Regardless, be warned. The fumes are without question nasty, and I'm still feeling a bit off an hour later.

[Simon D.]

From Wikipedia:
Applying cyanoacrylate to some natural materials such as cotton (jeans, cotton swabs, cotton balls, and certain yarns or fabrics), or leather or wool results in a powerful, rapid, exothermic reaction. This reaction also occurs with fiberglass and carbon fiber. The heat released may cause serious burns[33] or release irritating white smoke. Material safety data sheets for cyanoacrylate instruct users not to wear cotton (jeans) or wool clothing, especially cotton gloves, when applying or handling cyanoacrylates.[34]

[Bealman]

Serves me right, then, doesn't it? 

[woodbury22uk]

It might just have been moisture in the white stuff causing an inter-reaction or it might ignite at a low temperature. The curing process is very exothermic so a large quantity can give off a lot of heat and then smoke. I have a table with a pine laminate surface which smoked impressively after a cyano spill.

[Webbo]

Cool George

There must be some opportunities with this. When I was a kid, I liked to play with chemicals. One day, I mixed potassium permanganate with hydrochloric acid and a green heavy gas came off. It was chlorine gas as I later learned when I asked my chemistry teacher. Much to my eternal shame this was subsequently used on ants nests.

Webbo

[zwilnik]

Cool George

There must be some opportunities with this. When I was a kid, I liked to play with chemicals. One day, I mixed potassium permanganate with hydrochloric acid and a green heavy gas came off. It was chlorine gas as I later learned when I asked my chemistry teacher. Much to my eternal shame this was subsequently used on ants nests.

Webbo

You can use it to detect fingerprints. The smoke will coat and stick to the oils left behind by fingerprints allowing you to collect and analyse them

[Newportnobby]

You can use it to detect fingerprints. The smoke will coat and stick to the oils left behind by fingerprints allowing you to collect and analyse them

Thank you Shaw Taylor (Police 5)

[Bigmac]

i had one of those cheap glass chess sets: one team white glass--the other were clear glass.  Each piece had a thin felt base.

The felt bases kept coming unstuck--so i superglued them back on.

Later i noticed the clear set had undergone a reaction to the glue--and had turned white.

So now i had an all white chess set.  Different i suppose.

[Newportnobby]

Sorry - I know I shouldn't laugh but....................

[GlenEglise]

Superglue can be quite nasty when introduced to certain substances.

I unfortunately immediately thought you had somehow got it onto some intimate body part 

Saty safe.

[Bealman]

No. That's only used for stirring cocktails 

[TrevL]

I seem to remember years ago in the nineties when I was in the "mob" (RAF) working at an electronic maintenance unit, some bright spark (no pun intended) decided to superglue some discrete components to a PCB before soldering them. Once he got to soldering, the heat from the iron made quite a bit of white smoke and he was decidedly ill. As you can imagine, a safety bullitin was published forbidding such action.  It's a good job the "cyan" in cyanoacrylate doesn't stand for cyanide

[Newportnobby]

I unfortunately immediately thought you had somehow got it onto some intimate body part 

No. That's only used for stirring cocktails 

Strewth! Remind me never to accept a cocktail off you