[Fluorine]

My chemistry locker smelled like "rotten eggs" these past two uses (it's mon/wed) class but we haven't used sulfur containing chemicals recently. It was minimum of a week before the smell showed up and it was a few drops of thioacetamide. I'm wondering if it's H₂S or would other sulfur compounds make more sense?

- Is thioacetamide stable if left exposed to air, dark, 22~25 ^oC?
- Could a few drops (1~2mL) of thioacetamide create enough decomposed product to be harmful?
- Will this sulfurous smell remain after cleaning the glassware/locker or will it air out after the source is cleaned?

1) I've experienced no symptoms (loss of smell, irritation, vision change, etc.) of H2S toxicity.
2) I emailed my professor but he never replied so I'm going to tell him tomorrow during lab.

3) Thanks for your time.

_{Note: I read the forum rules and still was a bit uncertain where this should go, but it deals with my undergrad. chemistry class so figured this was the correct place.}

[majorjp]

Thioacetamide is a class 2B carcinogen, and therefore should be treated with due caution. While it is stable in air, it does require adequate ventilation when being worked with. Being in a chemistry locker does not provide such ventilation and the sterilization of the equipment in the locker cannot be guaranteed therefore there could be materials that could cause adverse reactions with thioacetamide. Contact your lab supervisor and let him/her deal with is via the appropriate protocol. It could be nothing but thioacetamide can form several hazardous materials that are beyond your containment experience. In such cases always err on the side of caution and safety.

[Fluorine]

I washed all my glassware thoroughly today and noticed the smell wasn't as prominent as before. I told my professor and he didn't seemed concerned, just said "it might not even be from your locker". Mine is on the bottom of three so a more dense vapour could travel to it. I'll be very cautious if the odor does not dissipate.

Thanks again!