Abstract: At approximately 1:35 p.m. on March 31, 2000, Employee #1, a chemist, was preparing inside a laboratory fume hood 2-(2-nitropropyl) ethonate using lithium salt of nitromethane. He was using a spatula to break up a clump of material transferring the product from a smaller flask to a larger one when the flask he was holding in his left hand exploded. Employee #1 suffered a fractured left thumb, a dislocated index finger, and a severed ligament in his little finger. He also sustained numerous lacerations to his right forearm and chest, some of which required stitches. Employee #1 was hospitalized for four days.