Xerotine siccative was an
oil drying agent An oil drying agent, also known as siccative, is a coordination compound that accelerates (catalyzes) the hardening of drying oils, often as they are used in oil-based paints. This so-called "drying" (actually a chemical reaction that produces an or ...
used in the late 19th century. It is a type of
terebene; unlike standard terebenes, xerotine siccative doesn't become cloudy when mixed in an oil.
Replacing boiled oil, xerotine siccative was mixed with paint in order to speed up the drying process;
however, its use ceased when it was discovered to be highly flammable.
The dangerous qualities of xerotine siccative were first discovered in an investigation of a small explosion on in 1881.
In November of the same year there was an explosion on which killed three men and wounded seven more.
Name
The words "''xerotine''" and "''siccative''" each mean "drier" in Greek and Latin respectively.
Uses
As an oil dryer, xerotine siccative was mixed with oil based paints in order to speed the drying time of the paint.
Initial investigations
The first evidence that xerotine siccative was a chief agent in the explosions of these ships came from an investigation done on ''Cockatrice''. It was discovered that prior to the explosion, a man entered the ship's storeroom with an open flame, which he held next to an uncorked can of xerotine siccative.
Harry T. Grenfell reported that xerotine siccative had been supplied to the ship as a harmless substance and as a result, no precautions were taken towards it.
Subsequent inquiries into an explosion aboard ''Triumph'' and revealed that both resulted from explosions due to xerotine siccative.
After it was revealed that ''Triumph'' exploded as a result of gas generated by xerotine siccative, W.B. Baird, carpenter of ''Doterel'', testified that he was supplied with the agent in an earthenware jar.
He also stated that the painter of the ship reported that the jar had been damaged and was leaking and was ordered to dispose of the jar by throwing it overboard; shortly thereafter the explosion aboard ''Doterel'' occurred.
Results
In 1883, a committee, appointed by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, released a report on the explosive power of xerotine siccative.
Once the danger of xerotine siccative became known, the Commanders-in-Chief at the home ports and foreign stations and the Superintendents of the Dockyards were warned not to issue the substance to any future ships.
All ships were also required to return any quantity of xerotine siccative that they had on board.
At the same time, orders were given for the entire supply in store and on ships to be destroyed.
The
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Tra ...
also took steps to prevent similar events from occurring in the future. No new compound could be administered until it had been examined chemically and any explosive nature was reported.
Further precautions were taken in that labels stating "Inflammable—No Fire or Light to be brought near this Cask" were printed to be placed on any objects that posed a fire hazard.
In addition, new specifications were created for any future cask or can holding flammable liquids.
After the investigations, the use of boiled oil was once again employed.
Composition and flammability
Xerotine siccative contains
kerosene
Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning " wax", and was reg ...
as an ingredient.
The most volatile substances in xerotine siccative were found to freely evaporate between 50 and 80 degrees
Fahrenheit
The Fahrenheit scale () is a temperature scale based on one proposed in 1724 by the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736). It uses the degree Fahrenheit (symbol: °F) as the unit. Several accounts of how he originally defined h ...
.
Further, xerotine siccative contained Benzoline, which is very volatile at room temperature.
Benzoline is flammable when it is present at one part benzoline vapor to 60 parts air and explosive when present at one part vapor to 30 parts air.
On 2 October 1874, Benzoline was found to be the cause of an explosion on the canal boat ''Tilsbury''.
When the fumes were contained in an enclosed space, the behavior of the gas became similar to that of
coal gas
Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made from coal and supplied to the user via a piped distribution system. It is produced when coal is heated strongly in the absence of air. Town gas is a more general term referring to manufactured gaseous ...
and could produce a similarly violent explosion.
Known explosions
* ''
Coquimbo
Coquimbo is a port List of cities in Chile, city, Communes of Chile, commune and Capital city, capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of La Seren ...
(''June 1880)
* (26 April 1881)
* (May 1881),
''Britomart''-class steam gunboat
* -2 (November 1881)
Xerotine siccative was also considered as a potential cause of the explosion which sank
USS Maine
Four ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS ''Maine'', named for the 23rd state:
* , was a battleship whose 1898 sinking precipitated the Spanish–American War.
* , launched in 1901, was the lead ship of her class of battleship ...
in Havana harbour; however, it was ruled out by a later investigation.
References
{{Reflist
External links
1882 Commons Sitting discussing the dangers of xerotine siccative
Homogeneous catalysis
Terpenes and terpenoids