andyloris
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Accidentaly filled a beaker with "concrete"
I had a 250ml beaker with some nitric acid, and I saw that a leaf fell in to it, turning the acid yellow.
I decided to dispose of it by adding 150g of sodium carbonate to neutralize the acid and waited a few days as I forgot about it.
However, when I came back, I saw the mass had completly solidified.
I tried breaking it up with a screwdriver but I could not do it, and I don't want to risk breaking my beaker.
What do I do ?
Thanks in advance !
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Texium
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Soak it in hot water. Everything should be soluble.
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andyloris
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Thanks !
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Tsjerk
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I'm sorry, but i smell bullocks. Can you explain how long it took for you to neutralize the acid without having it against the ceiling?
Also, how did a leaf fell into it?
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unionised
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Working outdoors is not a bad idea .
It's Autumn.
Why do you think a leaf is unexpected?
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DraconicAcid
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How much nitric acid was there that you had to use 150 g of sodium carbonate to neutralize it????
Please remember: "Filtrate" is not a verb.
Write up your lab reports the way your instructor wants them, not the way your ex-instructor wants them.
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unionised
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You could do the maths.
Or you could take the view that someone might just use a huge excess, in order to ensure that it's converted to bicarbonate.
That way you don't, in principle, need to worry about the CO2 production.
Washing soda is cheap.
It's relatively safe to use.
So there's essentially no risk from overapplication of carbonate.
But, if you underdo it, you still have nitric acid.
Why wouldn't you use a lot?
I'm not at all sure about the validity of the OP.
But I see no concrete reason (pun intended) to disbelieve it.
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andyloris
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I work in a garage. I have no idea how a leaf fell into it.
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B(a)P
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Did you save the beaker?
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andyloris
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I managed to save the beaker 
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Keras
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Next time, beaker-ful! :p
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CharlieA
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I'm definitely getting older and slower, but good pun! 
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