Junk_Enginerd
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In case anyone's curious about acid burns, I spilled a small amount of boiling RFNA on my arm.
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. 
 
[Edited on 16-7-2020 by Junk_Enginerd]
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B(a)P
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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.
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Tsjerk
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Just some advice make sure it doesn't get infected! Like any other burn
actually, use lots of povidone iodine.
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Junk_Enginerd
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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.
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draculic acid69
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Does nitric acid and skin form some chemical together?
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Junk_Enginerd
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Yeah. I think the keratin and other various proteins get nitrated; nitric acid burns are always yellow to varying degrees.
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Fery
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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.
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Mateo_swe
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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.
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B(a)P
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 Don't let any detonators go off too close to your arm until it heals!
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BrainAmoeba
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Thank you for information. Does it hurt after some time, or it just looks bad?
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Junk_Enginerd
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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.
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.
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B(a)P
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Ha ha ha, great idea! You are going to need to report back on this with pictures please!
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TechTheGuy
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is keratine nitrate explosive? Like you spilled a thing on you and then you could blow up...lol
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draculic acid69
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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.
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Draeger
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| 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.
Collected elements:
Al, Cu, Ga, C (coal), S, Zn, Na
Collected compounds:
Inorganic:
NaOH; NaHCO3; MnCl2; MnCO3; CuSO4; FeSO4; aq. 30-33% HCl; aq. NaClO; aq. 9,5% ammonia; aq. 94-96% H2SO4; aq. 3% H2O2
Organic:
citric acid, sodium acetate, sodium citrate, petroleum, mineral oil
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Junk_Enginerd
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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.
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Fery
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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]
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Junk_Enginerd
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| 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.
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Newton2.0
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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.
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