Any chemist's on here

[AdrianH]

I have an old brown jar, with I think sulphuric acid in it, from once looking at one of the Bull Zinc plating kits.

I think it is that type of acid anyway.

Is there a simple, safe test I can do at home that could say what type of acid it is compared to another?

Cheers

Adrian

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I have an old brown jar, with I think sulphuric acid in it, once once looking at one of the Bull Zinc plating kits.

I think it is that type of acid anyway.

Is there a simple, safe test I can do at home that could say what type of acid it is compared to another?

Cheers

Adrian

What does it taste like?















Only kidding!!!!!

 

[the snooper]

What does it taste like?

Only kidding!!!!!

we will never know you just killed him

 

[brightspark]

if your not sure bin it . not literaly water it down and dispose of it peoperly

 

[Gareth J]

You should be able to tell, get a tentative waft towards you, you'll probably be able to smell sulphuryness (rotten eggs) if it's sulphuric. Do NOT inhale a massive lungful. Or a small lungful.

If that test proves negative, pour a dribble down your shower drain and close the door. Rotten eggs again.

Rinse out and leave the fan on for the next 48hrs.

If none of those tests prove fruitful or you don't fancy either of them, mix some with some iron filings. Then mix this with Coke. Everyone will hate you if it is sulphuric

 

[brightspark]

You should be able to tell, get a tentative waft towards you, you'll probably be able to smell sulphuryness (rotten eggs) if it's sulphuric. Don't inhale a massive lungful.

If that test proves negative, pour a dribble down your shower drain and close the door. Rotten eggs again.

Rinse out and leave the fan on for the next 48hrs.

there will be nothing left of your chrome drain hole though cos its melted good advice

 

[the snooper]

You should be able to tell, get a tentative waft towards you, you'll probably be able to smell sulphuryness (rotten eggs) if it's sulphuric. Don't inhale a massive lungful.

If that test proves negative, pour a dribble down your shower drain and close the door. Rotten eggs again.

Rinse out and leave the fan on for the next 48hrs.

I wouldn't smell that stuff at all also if you have a chrome shower drain it will most likely ruin it

 

[Gareth J]

edited ^^ I since remembered a maybe more controlled experiment

 

[the snooper]

edited ^^ I since remembered a maybe more controlled experiment

snort it with a straw ?

 

[Parm]

Whatever you do not smell it, sulphuric acids doesn't smell like rotten eggs that's hydrogen sulphide.

There are tests readily available that will identify almost anything, but there are carried out in labs and cost a lot of money. If you realy need I can arrange for you

My advice would be to pour down an outside drain with plenty of running water and keep your head away from any plume or fumes

 

[rtbcomp]

On the off chance that it's concentrated sulphuric acid do NOT add water to it - it will boil and throw acid all over the place.

 

[Maker]

Mix a roughly equal volume of acid and sugar, it should go black, get hot, stink of burning sugar and possibly rise up out of the container. Do it outside.

 

[brightspark]

On the off chance that it's concentrated sulphuric acid do NOT add water to it - it will boil and throw acid all over the place.

On the off chance that it's concentrated sulphuric acid do NOT add water to it - it will boil and throw acid all over the place.

add the acid to cold water and stir . as said not the other way round

 

[the snooper]

just do yourself a favour and bin it, if you need some buy some at least then you know what you have and don't risk injury

 

[Maker]

just do yourself a favour and bin it, if you need some buy some at least then you know what you have and don't risk injury

Without a doubt the safest option.

 

[rikrobson]

Old Joe brown is dead and gone, we'll see his face no more
For what he thought was h2o was h2so4
If you really want to know what it is you can just test it in you mass spectrometer.

 

[AdrianH]

The place I work at used to deal with chemicals and other substances dealing with water quality tests, some where I have a ph meter, but would suspect the sensor has given up the ghost by now. I even have somewhere buffers of ph 7 and ph 9 all part of what we used to do.

Handling chemicals is not an issue, or should I say does not faze me. I got the stuff for use with a zinc plating kit, it could even be Hydrochloric for what I can remember of the kit, problem is label fell off!!!!

mass spectrometer.

,, yea I wish, possibly a project down the line, paper soak in substance allowed to dry, burn and then use prism to detect lines, type of thing or am I on wrong idea?

Adrian

 

[TechnicAl]

If its from a Zinc Plating kit it will probably be Phosphoric Acid. Have you got any limestone chippings on your garden. The Sulphuric will get hot on the limestone, Phosphoric wont........to be honest Hydrochloric and Nitric should also get hot but lets ignore that for now

 

[wristpin]

if your not sure bin it . not literaly water it down and dispose of it peoperly

Just remember - add acid to the water and not water to the acid which can cause a violent reaction.

 

[gordon stephenson]

Sulphuric is great for removing rust and mill scale from steel. My eldest used to use hundreds of tons a year in his crop spray days, I still have a few gallons that I use for cleaning the rust from horseshoes before rinsing then welding, I wonder what strength you have Adrian.We had 77% but they also supplied 93%. The strong stuff you can store in mild steel vessels, but the weaker mixes needed stainless.