cherokeelanguage / nfpa-chemid-v3

A Java program designed to convert NFPA 704 fire diamond information to chemical names and properties.

NFPA-ChemID-v3

A simple Java program designed to convert NFPA 704 fire diamond information to chemical names and properties.

Introduction to NFPA 704

NFPA 704 is a safety standard created by the National Fire Prevention Agency that is the cause for diamond-shaped signs which help emergency personnel to understand and effectively respond to chemical hazards. In three of the categories, chemicals are assigned scores between 0 and 4, with 0 being the least hazardous and 4 being the most:

• Health (blue): the danger posed to human health
• Flammability (red): the flammability of the chemical(s)
• Reactivity (yellow): the reactivity, aside from flammability

See ChemProp.java for more information on the relation between the assigned numbers and the hazards posed.

The last category has symbols that indicate special properties of the chemicals:

• OX: is an oxidizer (e.g. potassium nitrate, KNO3)
• SA: is a simple asphyxiant gas (e.g. nitrogen gas, N2)
• W: reacts violently with water (e.g. methyl isocyanate, CH3NCO)

For example, the compound sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) has the following ratings:

• Health: 2 -> Intense or continued exposure could cause harm
• Flammability: 0 -> Will not burn under typical fire conditions
• Reactivity: 1 -> Normally stable, but can be unstable in specific situations
• OX -> Is an oxidizer (i.e. will allow fires to burn without air)

Program Functions

A quick run-down of the functioning of this program:

1. A user inputs a certain combination of NFPA 704 information (presumably obtained by looking at a metal sign)
2. The program accesses numerous databases (JSON files) to compile a list of chemicals that match the information.
3. The program obtains information regarding that list of chemicals (e.g. melting point, common uses)

Currently, this program is in the pre-alpha stage of development, having little functionality and almost no UI. In its current state, it can take basic user input. (^_^)

Program To-Do

• Write more Javadocs and add more tags to existing ones
• Figure out how to exclude certain files from being uploaded to GitHub
• Acquire more databases (especially Wikipedia/MediaWiki)
• Get the IDGManager class working
• Improve chemical name String "cleaning"
• Find a way to indicate program versions
• Find a (possibly) more reliable way to convert chemical name to ID
• Fix the program so that it actually works
• Implement ways to HTTP request different chemical ID forms

Project History

Being one to live in suburban areas, I am no stranger to NFPA 704 fire diamonds. Once I learned how to read them, I wanted to be able to know what chemicals specifically were in certain areas. I came up with the idea for this app in 2014.

My first attempt at making an app utilized Scratch, a rudimentary "language" in which I hard-coded NFPA 704 values in. (It took quite a while to get all those if-then statements to work.) See the project here.

My second attempt involved the use of AppInventor, a more advanced but still Scratch-like "language." This time, I tried to make a database to store all the chemical information and got a "legitimately-working" app. However, the UI was quite limited and the app overall was quite unpolished.

Currently, I am on my third attempt at realizing the idea of NFPA 704 identification. Once this code works, I am planning to use Android Studio to create a clean and user-friendly app that I can use. (Somehow, I doubt that any sane person would find this app as interesting as I do.)

Further reading

• NFPA 704
• Sodium hypochlorite ("active ingredient" in bleach)
• Chemical Translation Service
• OPSIN

Miscellaneous

This README.md was created with the help of this GitHub guide. The Javadocs were created with the help of Wikipedia's Javadoc article.