From roasting some steak on a barbecue, to the air we breathe produced by plants, chemical reactions play a great part in our daily lives. In fact, they are so current that sometimes we  misjudge the lethal potential that can result from the properties of some chemicals. 

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    On Wednesday, October the 25th, a father and son were found dead in Collin County, Texas, inside of their work van containing lawn mowing equipment. However, the story gets even more frightening. When a first responder opened the front door of the van to investigate, he immediately felt nauseous and began to faint as he smelled what he described to be a strong scent of ammonia. Him, along with four other first responders, were sent to the hospital. Hazmat teams spent hours cleansing the area, including the van itself and an ambulance that was next o the scene, of any chemical waste they could find: although they believe that most of the dangerous gas inside the van was released when the first responders opened the doors. The bodies were not identified until the teams declared that it was safe enough for the investigation to continue.  Since then, the gas has dissipated and no longer poses a threat, and all of the affected first responders have been sent home in a healthy condition. Authorities says that the gas responsible for the death of the two men was carbon monoxide, an odourless, colourless poisonous gas. Other gases were also released, and the cause  seems to be an unidentified chemical reaction that occurred between the chemicals contained within the van. For more information on this disastrous event, please follow the link to Mr. Ramirez article on the matter at the bottom of this page. 

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     In Unit 2 of our chemistry textbook, we explored some different types of chemical reactions and their real-life applications. One of these reactions, called combustion, applies the most to this tragic incident. When a compound burns, or goes through combustion, it will result in the creation of carbon dioxide gas and liquid water, which are both harmless. This is called complete combustion, and it will only occur if there is enough oxygen available. However, when oxygen is scarce, the reaction will still take place, but it will be "incomplete", producing an uncountable amount of carbon and oxygen bonds, which could very well be the toxic gas carbon monoxide. This gas has claimed many lives because it is so hard to detect, and people tend to ignore the symptoms. Perhaps there was a gas leak on the vehicle that allowed some of the exhaust into the van, killing the unaware drivers. Maybe some of the lawn mowing chemicals inside the van were not contained properly, and the carbon monoxide reacted with them to form other lethal compounds. As to what really caused the death of these two men, only the experts can tell.

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     The potential of some chemical reactions can be frightening. I find it disturbing how a substance such as carbon moxide can kill without anyone being able to detect it. I now feel skeptical when I see someone cooking on a barbecue inside a garage. This is why it is so important for everyone o have a basic understanding of chemical reactions. However, I am glad to know that not all reactions will result in something dangerous, such as Pepto-Bismol neutralizing the hydrochloric acid in the to prevent vomiting. And even in this tragic event, there is something to learn about how chemicals work, and how to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. 

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     Can you think of a time when you witnessed a chemical reaction with everyday items that produced something unexpected, intriguing or dangerous?

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For more information, please visit https://www.dallasnews.com/news/collin-county/2017/10/25/two-men-found-dead-work-van-collin-county-apparently-overcome-fumes

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http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2017/10/25/men-found-dead-work-van/

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