Sciencemadness Discussion Board

In case anyone's curious about acid burns, I spilled a small amount of boiling RFNA on my arm.

Junk_Enginerd - 16-7-2020 at 02:38

I managed to spill red fuming nitric acid fresh from the reflux hose, so at boiling temperature, on my arm. I would expect that's basically the most extreme caustic substance you could ever expose yourself to. Maybe boiling 95% sulfuric would be worse. Anyway, because of that I thought it may be interesting to some, for knowledge etc.

I would expect the amount I got on me was 1-2 ml. It immediately stung pretty bad, just like burning yourself on a hot object would, except with the added "salt in a wound" sensation. Fizzed audibly as well.

It had about 3-4 seconds to work before I could rinse it off.

It hasn't hurt notably since. I don't know if it's a 3rd degree burn and has fried the nerve endings, or if it just is mild enough to not hurt.

Attached pictures are taken immediately after rinsing, and 30 minutes after exposure.

This happened yesterday, and today it's looking pretty good honestly. Much like the picture taken immediately after the burn. No redness and dry. Slight swelling approximately 4x the size of the burned area.

I'm not particularly concerned and not really looking for help or advice, just wanted to share as I thought it was interesting since I haven't seen many small and intense chemical burns.

I definitely don't need safety advice. I was sloppy and learned from it. :)

20200715_165251.jpg - 2.1MB 20200715_171842.jpg - 2MB

[Edited on 16-7-2020 by Junk_Enginerd]

B(a)P - 16-7-2020 at 03:02

Thanks for sharing. I watched Nile Reds video where he runs RFNA over a finger and finger nail. When I watched the clip I remember thinking, yeah but what if that was at elevated temperature.
I got a similar, but smaller burn from a droplet of ~80C conc HNO3.

Tsjerk - 16-7-2020 at 04:27

Just some advice :) make sure it doesn't get infected! Like any other burn actually, use lots of povidone iodine.

Junk_Enginerd - 16-7-2020 at 05:31

Quote: Originally posted by Tsjerk  
Just some advice :) make sure it doesn't get infected! Like any other burn actually, use lots of povidone iodine.


Of course, as with any burn. I'm not too worried though. Since it's absolutely dry and doesn't exude anything, I reckon there's little more risk than any small cut.

draculic acid69 - 16-7-2020 at 05:37

Does nitric acid and skin form some chemical together?

Junk_Enginerd - 16-7-2020 at 06:02

Quote: Originally posted by draculic acid69  
Does nitric acid and skin form some chemical together?


Yeah. I think the keratin and other various proteins get nitrated; nitric acid burns are always yellow to varying degrees.

Fery - 16-7-2020 at 07:10

Pls let us informed how it will evolve. The upper part of epidermis are just dead flat keratinocytes which fall away of the skin unnoticeably so perhaps only these already dead cells were destroyed and bottom parts with live cells stayed intact. Few seconds until washing the acid off the skin sounds good to me. A little of diluted acid always stays in the dead flat cells on the surface of the skin which will be slowly released into deeper layers for some time. No exudation now is good sign, but it is also important no exudation after few days.

Mateo_swe - 16-7-2020 at 07:52

It shows that it instantly does damage where it touches the skin.
A small area like this on the arm is probably not going to cause any permanent damage except maybe some scar.
Lucky it was not bigger area and in the face, and hot acids are way much worse than cold ones.
Ordinary room temp 98% sulfuric dropped on some wood instantly makes carbonized black spots but if it was boiling its so much worse.
I guess fuming nitric is about the same.

B(a)P - 16-7-2020 at 11:07

Quote: Originally posted by Junk_Enginerd  


Yeah. I think the keratin and other various proteins get nitrated; nitric acid burns are always yellow to varying degrees.


;) Don't let any detonators go off too close to your arm until it heals!

BrainAmoeba - 16-7-2020 at 12:42

Thank you for information. Does it hurt after some time, or it just looks bad?

Junk_Enginerd - 16-7-2020 at 13:10

Quote: Originally posted by B(a)P  
Quote: Originally posted by Junk_Enginerd  


Yeah. I think the keratin and other various proteins get nitrated; nitric acid burns are always yellow to varying degrees.


;) Don't let any detonators go off too close to your arm until it heals!


Lol, you know what, I absolutely intend to set that slab of skin on fire after it falls off. For science.
Quote: Originally posted by Fery  
Pls let us informed how it will evolve. The upper part of epidermis are just dead flat keratinocytes which fall away of the skin unnoticeably so perhaps only these already dead cells were destroyed and bottom parts with live cells stayed intact. Few seconds until washing the acid off the skin sounds good to me. A little of diluted acid always stays in the dead flat cells on the surface of the skin which will be slowly released into deeper layers for some time. No exudation now is good sign, but it is also important no exudation after few days.


Ah no it definitely went deeper than the upper epidermis. If it was just that it wouldn't have been so painful, plus it looks a lot like a 3rd degree thermal burn. It's a little hard to tell though. I actually read this specifically for nitric acid burns, that it's difficult to assess the depth. The skin is still there, it's just leathery and dead. The diffuse swelling around it also a clue that it's not entirely superficial.

Heh now that I was poking it, all the hair around the affected area fell off.
Quote: Originally posted by BrainAmoeba  
Thank you for information. Does it hurt after some time, or it just looks bad?


Still eerily painless, but not entirely numb either. If it wasn't for the mild swelling and that the area is a little hardened I wouldn't even feel it was there.

B(a)P - 16-7-2020 at 13:39

Quote: Originally posted by Junk_Enginerd  

Lol, you know what, I absolutely intend to set that slab of skin on fire after it falls off. For science.



Ha ha ha, great idea! You are going to need to report back on this with pictures please!

TechTheGuy - 17-7-2020 at 22:01

Quote: Originally posted by Junk_Enginerd  


Yeah. I think the keratin and other various proteins get nitrated

is keratine nitrate explosive? Like you spilled a thing on you and then you could blow up...lol

draculic acid69 - 18-7-2020 at 06:08


Heh now that I was poking it, all the hair around the affected area fell off.
Quote: Originally posted by BrainAmoeba  
Thank you for information. Does it hurt after some time, or it just looks bad?[/rquote]

Still eerily painless, but not entirely numb either. If it wasn't for the mild swelling and that the area is a little hardened I wouldn't even feel it was there.


So it's an effective hair removal agent then.

Draeger - 18-7-2020 at 08:32

Quote: Originally posted by draculic acid69  

Heh now that I was poking it, all the hair around the affected area fell off.

Quote: Originally posted by BrainAmoeba  
Thank you for information. Does it hurt after some time, or it just looks bad?[/rquote]

Still eerily painless, but not entirely numb either. If it wasn't for the mild swelling and that the area is a little hardened I wouldn't even feel it was there.


So it's an effective hair removal agent then.

The amateur chemist's waxing alternative.

Junk_Enginerd - 23-7-2020 at 03:34

So, about one week post exposure, still looking good. It's itchy as all hell, which is annoying but also a good sign of healing I suppose. Still no pain at all which is weird.

Seems like the scab is starting to break up. It's growing in thickness around the edges, which I believe is due to it cracking and exuding some fluids which have hardened.

I reckon it'll have problems staying stuck for the next shower or two. I'm really curious what the state of the skin underneath is, if there's any left at all.

20200723_104756.jpg - 2.1MB

Fery - 24-7-2020 at 11:09

The reddish surrounding (barely visible for not trained eye) could be caused by an infection, but in that case the wound would secrete, which is not your case :) So then the reddish means activation of your immunity and reparation process. What is important that your wounds are dry. Healing is in progress from surrounding (visible) and bottom (not yet visible). Only very deep wounds heal only from surrounding and not from bottom (when deep skin layers destroyed or even deeper than skin - fascia, tendon, muscle, bone etc). Your wounds are not so small in diameter thus perhaps scars will remain which color will fade during years. Hard to judge how deep are your wounds. Time will tell. The more superficial the better.

[Edited on 24-7-2020 by Fery]

Junk_Enginerd - 26-7-2020 at 14:38

Quote: Originally posted by Fery  
The reddish surrounding (barely visible for not trained eye) could be caused by an infection, but in that case the wound would secrete, which is not your case :) So then the reddish means activation of your immunity and reparation process. What is important that your wounds are dry. Healing is in progress from surrounding (visible) and bottom (not yet visible). Only very deep wounds heal only from surrounding and not from bottom (when deep skin layers destroyed or even deeper than skin - fascia, tendon, muscle, bone etc). Your wounds are not so small in diameter thus perhaps scars will remain which color will fade during years. Hard to judge how deep are your wounds. Time will tell. The more superficial the better

[Edited on 24-7-2020 by Fery]


Oh there's certainly no infection going on. The wound feels very healthy. More so than any thermal burn I've ever had. The nitrated scab actually seems to be a very good cover, it's tough, thick and doesn't seem to leak very much at all. The redness IRL is more pink; there's very little redness, and most of the color change is scar tissue.

Newton2.0 - 25-6-2021 at 18:50

Can't remember what it was exactly, but I placed a slightly yellow acid/caustic solution on my hand and it ate through every layer of skin it touched.

Room temp., a matter of seconds and a gnarly scar that took forever to heal. I am not a smart man-child.