Abstract: At approximately 6:20 p.m. on December 2, 1999, an explosion occurred at the Akzo Nobel Chemicals, Inc. Plant located in Deer Park, TX. This facility manufactures Aluminum Alkyls. The area of the explosion was the North TEAL I Area, which involves the MPR Unit (R-11 and R-400) and part of the North TEAL Unit (R-21, C-21, and C-400). The R-400 reactor was shut down so it could be cleaned out. The unit involved in this incident manufactured about 10 different Aluminum Alkyls. The last one manufactured in the R-400 reactor was diisobutylaluminum hydride (DIBAL-H). Aluminum Alkyls react violently with water to form ethane gas. It ignites spontaneously on contact with air. In addition, it may decompose explosively when heated. The activity involved in the explosion was starting the agitator on the R-400 reactor.