hi,
i recently bought 5l of both H2SO4 (96%) and HNO3 (70%) after my chemistry teacher refused to sell me 100 ml of each. problem is i live on a steel
hulled ship (www.thecanalbarge.com) and im kinda worried about that, what should i do to make sure there is no leakage? i put them in a cardboard box with a
pig mat under it. is that enough?
(its two plastic 5l canisters)neptunium - 8-4-2012 at 05:58
i would put them in a thick water tight plastic box (better yet teflon) inside a fridgeHexavalent - 8-4-2012 at 05:59
If I were you, I'd keep 500ml or 1L of each and transfer them into large glass or HDPE/Teflon bottles, with the threads lined with teflon tape or
similar. Sell the rest. Not many of us actually need 5L of highly dangerous liquids in our homes, and as you live on a boat the problem is amplified.
I am a landlubber in a very geographically stable zone, and this is what I do just to be safe. Keep these bottles in small, heavy duty plastic baggies
and keep in a tray, ideally filled with sodium carbonate/kitty litter mix etc. to absorb and help neutralize acid spills. Keep the nitric acid away
from all other chemicals if possible. You may also want to consider holding them down or padding them in somehow, as I have been on numerous holidays
on canal barges and have experienced the shaking that can occur. You do not want them to slip and potentially release their contents, either via cap
leaking/destruction or glass breakage. In any case, though, never store them above your head. In my lab, anything above my height is reserved for
capillary tubes, plastic pipettes and pipette bulbs.
On a side note, I have recently discovered a great source for glass bottles - albeit clear glass - I buy huge quantities of 586ml (1 pint?) bottles of
cheap malt vinegar from a supermarket, empty the vinegar out into the drain and allow them to stand in some dilute bleach overnight. Cheap glass
bottles with the labels removed. The tops IIRC are made from polypropelene, but their shape easily allows for an inner lining of teflon. If you need
amber glass bottles to protect against light, I have found that an adequate substitute is to splash some old paint over the surface of the bottle.
[Edited on 8-4-2012 by Hexavalent]Pyro - 8-4-2012 at 08:39
lol, the only way to buy em was 5l containers.
ill buy a box to put em in. i doubt its possible to sell it here, but ill try (that way i might get some of my 30 bucks back!)
i bought 2 plastic bottles that say PE on the bottom, they are milky with black tops and atleast 1 mm thick and cost a buck each and look the same as
the original 5l canisters. are these good?)
i dont like the idea of glass, cos the engine is a 2 cilinder 40l so the thumping isnt such a good idea for glass! (when you lie in ben when its
running you will literally bounce!)
i knew i had reason to worry about it. if i cant sell i should do what? take it to the dump yard in the original container?
thanks for the quick reply.
[Edited on 8-4-2012 by Pyro]Hexavalent - 8-4-2012 at 08:52
I'm certain you will be able to sell it! Where are you in the world . . .I am almost certain that an amateur scientist is fairly nearby that would
love to relieve you of some of your acids. Being moveable on a boat is a bonus of course, and, if they cannot collect, you can probably sell it and
ship it in portions with Hazmat fees. Infact, I believe there was a member here this morning or last night that was looking for some. Can't remember
his name though or where he posted, from a quick look through the boards.Pyro - 8-4-2012 at 09:37
well,
i live in belgium.
but could you please tell me if those 1 litre bottles are ok? Hexavalent - 8-4-2012 at 10:04
Which bottles? Try to be more specific and we can help you morePyro - 8-4-2012 at 10:09
well,
they have the triangular recycling symbol om the back with 02 in the middle and PE under it, then the numbers from 1-12 in a circle. they are milky
coloured with a black top and are about 1 mm thick. and they look alot like the canisters the acid came in.
(i did describe them after you said to put my acid in 1 litre bottles )Magic Muzzlet - 8-4-2012 at 10:13
Is this thread a joke? You live on that luxury barge and you are storing those acids, your username is Pyro, I'm assuming you want to nitrate things?
This is crazy.Pyro - 8-4-2012 at 10:19
uhm,
1) i am free to choose what kind of name i want without being prejudiced
2)why would this thread be a joke?
3)yes i live there and store acid, so...?
4)i am not planning to use 5l of each for nitrating, i will use it for other stuff
5)are those bottles good?Hexavalent - 8-4-2012 at 10:31
uhm,
1) i am free to choose what kind of name i want without being prejudiced
2)why would this thread be a joke?
3)yes i live there and store acid, so...?
4)i am not planning to use 5l of each for nitrating, i will use it for other stuff
5)are those bottles good?
I appreciate your interest, but have to agree partially with MM.
1. My SM name is Hexavalent as I find the chemistry of Hexavalent chromium compounds (although their danger) and their uses in orgo particularly
interesting. Thus, for most people, the username is often linked to their behaviour or interests, and 'Pyro' is not going to get you very far without
questions being asked if people have not met you previously.
2. This thread is, yes, kind of a joke. I agree, a barge is probably not the best location for a pyro enthusiast that stores litres of concentrated
acids and couldn't be bothered doing some research himself on the matter.
3. Hazardous on land/in a house, where you can store it out of your living quarters - insanely dangerous storing it in a place you live in and move
around pretty much daily that can move and shake around - you mentioned vibrations yourself. Yes, glass bottles can break, but plastic ones aren't
invincible.
4. Other than nitrations, tell us - what would you like to use 5L of nitric and sulfuric acids for?
But after a bit of work you can subsitute the term 'plastic' with whatever specific material you have.
[Edited on 8-4-2012 by Hexavalent]Pyro - 8-4-2012 at 10:49
1) that's true, but i enjoy a good explosion now and again even though its not my sole interest
2) i'm not a pyro enthusiast, and as i said earlier 5l was the minimum order, and cost practically nothing (3 bucks a litre)
3) we are only moving about a few weeks a year. and this ship is the only thing i call home for now.
4) my first intention was to buy a few hundred ml's, but i couldn't find those small amounts here
so ill keep 500ml of each and sell the rest or take it to the dump yard
so bear in mind: i'm NOT a pyromaniac, but was just having an uninventive moment. Hexavalent - 8-4-2012 at 10:51
How old are you Pyro, if you don't mind me asking? Just an age group will do.Pyro - 8-4-2012 at 10:54
21.
no I don't mind
how about you?Hexavalent - 8-4-2012 at 10:58
I'll only give you a clue; I am older than 13 but younger than 15Pyro - 8-4-2012 at 11:04
*dumb voice* uh, errr, uhm, are you 14?
lol, i wouldnt guess how old you were.
but seriously, just cos i live on a boat its a big deal...?
(like the sig? )Hexavalent - 8-4-2012 at 11:10
Yaa, I'm 14.
The only concern I think people have with your residence is the problem of storing chemicals in a location where you live in very close proximity to
daily, and the shaking that can sometimes occur with the water.
Try and dedicate a small area to keeping your lab stuff together, ideally away from food, bedrooms etc. Keep your hazardous chemicals well secured and
ensure they cannot be moved unintentionally. I assume you have limited workspaces and must therefore do chemistry on a limited space, so invest in a
cheap food tray and ONLY do chem on that. Clean up with an old rag and hot water after, and use common sense when handling your reagents.
Other than that, I wish you the very best in your chemical career and on this forum . . .be sure to take some piccies of your work and
equipment/chemicals and post them on the 'Tour my Lab' thread!!http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=4777Pyro - 8-4-2012 at 11:37
well,
i'm not a pro, so i work in the kitchen when i must, but do as much as possible outside. i always cover the part of the kitchen i work with newspaper
and work on a piece of glass.
and i keep chemicals in astorage locker by the dining table. (dont worry, with by the dining table i mean the entrance is there, i store them at the
back of the locker.)
i am generally very carefull, and have had no major incidents, except a few yrs ago when i was making rocket engines with Zn and S, and i tested a
gram in the kitchen. the whole hall was filled with smoke.
thanks.
[Edited on 8-4-2012 by Pyro]Hexavalent - 8-4-2012 at 11:42
on the website posted in my first post.
then go to gallery, then find the pic with the wooden shiny table and fireplace. to the left of that tableMagic Muzzlet - 8-4-2012 at 12:26
Your name has nothing to do with your interests, hey....
But you enjoy a good explosion, and you TESTED ROCKET ENGINE MIX in your kitchen.
You need to put off this hobby until you have a reasonable facility, at least a garage. A damn boat is not the place for a lab of any size.
[Edited on 8-4-2012 by Magic Muzzlet]Pyro - 8-4-2012 at 12:34
hey.
i said a couple of years ago! and its only zinc and sulfur, 2 over the counter chemicals. now i do a lot more interesting stuff.
and doesn't everyone enjoy a good explosion once in a while?
and i don't have anywhere else but a damn boat to do my things. when we buy a house with a garage i will use the garage AndersHoveland - 8-4-2012 at 14:11
You might want to wrap the conc. sulfuric acid in a plastic bag and tie it, separately. The acids will become much more corrosive if they get
mixed together. If you can get a sheet of silicone polymer to wrap the nitric acid in, that would be ideal. Also, be aware that sometimes the nitric
acid can corrode through its plastic cap it is sold with after several years! So be sure the nitric acid will always be stored upwards, and will never
accidentily get tipped over during storage. And you might put sodium bicarbonate in the bottom of the cardboard box, so that if the acids do leak, at
least some of it can get neutralised. Can you put the bottles of acids in a plastic box?Pyro - 8-4-2012 at 18:03
well, a plastic box should be no problem. ill try to find some silicone polymer, but i doubt i will.
and storing it in bicarb should be no problem either.
i already store them on the floor, they wont get any lower than that.
thanks for the help without questions! Hexavalent - 9-4-2012 at 01:47
ill try to find some silicone polymer, but i doubt i will
Go to your local homeware shop, and have a look for silicone trivets for baking. They seem, at least the large ones, ideal for the purpose that Anders
mentioned.Pyro - 9-4-2012 at 03:16
thanks. i got the tub, and put in bicarb and cat litter.
and i will look for polymer today. Hexavalent - 9-4-2012 at 04:07
Good luck with the shopping, in my lab I also keep two large buckets with old small saucepans in them . . .one holding cheapo kitty litter and the
other clean, dry, sand.Pyro - 9-4-2012 at 04:45
no luck shopping.
well, we have a cat so there is always cat litter. thanks for the help.
ill get some sand
)