Latex and nitrile gloves are widely used in laboratories, workshops, and industrial settings, but they don't necessarily provide the same level of protection against every chemical.

Natural rubber latex offers flexibility and good tactile sensitivity, while nitrile is often preferred for handling oils and greases. However, chemical resistance depends on more than the basic material. The chemical being handled, its concentration, contact time, glove thickness, and the possibility of permeation can all affect performance.

I've noticed that people sometimes assume a thicker glove automatically provides better chemical protection, but that doesn't always seem to be the case. A material that resists one substance may swell, degrade, or allow another substance to permeate through it.

I'm interested in how others approach glove selection for laboratory or industrial work.

• Do you check chemical-resistance charts before choosing gloves?

• Have you found significant differences between latex and nitrile when working with different substances?

• How much do glove thickness and contact time affect your choice?

• Are there particular manufacturer resources you trust when evaluating chemical compatibility?

It seems that choosing gloves based on the specific chemical and the manufacturer's compatibility data is more reliable than relying on the material name alone.

4 hours ago, irtubes said:

Latex and nitrile gloves are widely used in laboratories, workshops, and industrial settings, but they don't necessarily provide the same level of protection against every chemical.

Natural rubber latex offers flexibility and good tactile sensitivity, while nitrile is often preferred for handling oils and greases. However, chemical resistance depends on more than the basic material. The chemical being handled, its concentration, contact time, glove thickness, and the possibility of permeation can all affect performance.

I've noticed that people sometimes assume a thicker glove automatically provides better chemical protection, but that doesn't always seem to be the case. A material that resists one substance may swell, degrade, or allow another substance to permeate through it.

I'm interested in how others approach glove selection for laboratory or industrial work.

• Do you check chemical-resistance charts before choosing gloves?

• Have you found significant differences between latex and nitrile when working with different substances?

• How much do glove thickness and contact time affect your choice?

• Are there particular manufacturer resources you trust when evaluating chemical compatibility?

It seems that choosing gloves based on the specific chemical and the manufacturer's compatibility data is more reliable than relying on the material name alone.

Looks like a spam precursor to me.

6 hours ago, exchemist said:

Looks like a spam precursor to me.

Never bothered with gloves when handling spam or chemicals. Still got most of my fingers.

8 hours ago, exchemist said:

Looks like a spam precursor to me.

Slicing the spam is the most dangerous part if you use a sharp knife. I sometimes made use of a waldo system, scavenged from an old uranium enrichment plant, to get a worry-free slice of the tinned meat product. In my carnivore days, I often applied mustard (Dijon or brown) for both flavor and its antimicrobial properties. The chief hazard of mustard is having a tiny droplet fly off and hit you in the eye, so I would opt for a glovebox to handle the mustard application and keep pets off. Neither measure really made spam a safe nutritive choice, but I had good results with accompanying the spam sandwich with a large bowl of oatmeal, as the soluble fiber (Br. "fibre") helps prevent arterial blockages and bowel cancers.

9 minutes ago, TheVat said:

Slicing the spam is the most dangerous part if you use a sharp knife. I sometimes made use of a waldo system, scavenged from an old uranium enrichment plant, to get a worry-free slice of the tinned meat product. In my carnivore days, I often applied mustard (Dijon or brown) for both flavor and its antimicrobial properties. The chief hazard of mustard is having a tiny droplet fly off and hit you in the eye, so I would opt for a glovebox to handle the mustard application and keep pets off. Neither measure really made spam a safe nutritive choice, but I had good results with accompanying the spam sandwich with a large bowl of oatmeal, as the soluble fiber (Br. "fibre") helps prevent arterial blockages and bowel cancers.

Love the picture. Where is it from?

P.S. Do you think Dr. Who got the idea of the daleks from this?

Edited October 28Oct 28 by exchemist

Argonne National Laboratory. 1950s.

A scientist behind a three-sided mobile lead shield¹ approaches an active 254-tonne cyclotron² particle accelerator and using sphere-mounted tongs, prepares to remove an aluminium object made radioactive³ by 45 MeV⁴ alpha-particle⁵ bombardment at Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois, U.S.A. (1955). The shield is 10 cm thick with a lead-glass window, by moving either of two handles the operator drives and steers the heavy 4.5 tonne vehicle. The wheel motors are independently controlled similar to how one drives a tank⁶.

2 hours ago, exchemist said:

P.S. Do you think Dr. Who got the idea of the daleks from this?

Haha. They do seem kind of...related.

4 hours ago, TheVat said:

Slicing the spam is the most dangerous part if you use a sharp knife. I sometimes made use of a waldo system, scavenged from an old uranium enrichment plant, to get a worry-free slice of the tinned meat product. In my carnivore days, I often applied mustard (Dijon or brown) for both flavor and its antimicrobial properties. The chief hazard of mustard is having a tiny droplet fly off and hit you in the eye, so I would opt for a glovebox to handle the mustard application and keep pets off. Neither measure really made spam a safe nutritive choice, but I had good results with accompanying the spam sandwich with a large bowl of oatmeal, as the soluble fiber (Br. "fibre") helps prevent arterial blockages and bowel cancers.

I want that for my lab. And also for meetings.

3 hours ago, CharonY said:

I want that for my lab. And also for meetings.

I want it on a greeting card that reads 'Of course I love you, Darling!'

18 hours ago, TheVat said:

Is that Enrico Fermi in the window ?

3 hours ago, MigL said:

Is that Enrico Fermi in the window ?

Yes. He was the leading scientist at ANL in those years. I was born not far from ANL, southwest of Chicago, around the time that photo was taken.

3 hours ago, TheVat said:

Yes. He was the leading scientist at ANL in those years.

One of my favorites.
The father of the neutrino and weak interaction.
( among many other things )

3 hours ago, MigL said:

One of my favorites.
The father of the neutrino and weak interaction.
( among many other things )

Doesn't fatherhood require more than a weak interaction? 😉

ETA: Liking my new tablet (newer and well-patched OS and all that) but it handles emojis here in a weird glitchy way. Anyone else find it impossible to get a new line once you've placed an emoji? I hit return and it just removes the keyboard.