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I have a white, moldy-like substance that has been growing near the cap of an unopened glass container filled with TMSCl. It has spread to form a thin, powdery coating on all of the other containers of organic reagents it is stored with. This substance appears to have a corrosive effect on glass, but leaves plastic containers and metal containers unaffected. I'd like to know what it is before I go about cleaning it up.

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  • $\begingroup$ Hello again! I hope you're doing well! I recently had a little safety concern about phenoxyethanol, but I think nobody active on Biology SE knows anything about it. Do you know about that substance, or know anyone who can help me with my enquiry? And feel free to drop by in the Logic chat too! =) $\endgroup$
    – user21820
    Commented Oct 23, 2023 at 7:48

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Chlorotrimethylsilane, like other organosilicon compounds, is easily attacked by nucleophiles and readily hydrolyzes in air yielding hydrogen chloride:

$$\ce{2 Me3SiCl(l) + H2O(l) -> Me3Si-O-SiMe3(l) + 2 HCl(g)}$$

Hydrogen chloride reacting with traces of ammonia $\ce{NH3}$ in the air builds up white solid ammonium chloride $\ce{NH4Cl}$ depositing on the nearby surfaces.

Also, the final product of hydrolysis for the majority of organosilicon compounds is silicon dioxide $\ce{SiO2}$ (sol-gel process similar to olation). Fine powder of silicon dioxide is white as well.

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