On 18/08/2012 09:05 AM, Le_Forgeron wrote:
> Red alert. Mixing Nitric acid with Sulphuric acid is a cocktail to make
> nitroglycerin from glycerine. The smallest part of grease might turn
> dangerous once dried.

How about all the metal irons now floating around? Will that affect 
anything?

>> So we stand at look at it for a moment. And then my college decides to
>> add a little hydrochloric acid.
>
> Great, now the cocktail is a mix of Sulphuric acid and Aqua regia, the
> solvent for gold&  platinum.

Well, yeah, we /are/ trying to dissolve metal...

> All the water generated by Aqua regia attacking the metal will get
> captured by the Sulphuric acid.
>
> Notice that Aqua regia is unstable: it will generate chlorine gaz and
> nitric oxyd (Cl2 and NO) with water.

Apparently it also evolves NOCl, which might explain the dark brown fumes.

> Adding water to Sulphuric acid is exothermic. (it generates heat)

Yeah, I gathered at least one of them is. Good thing we didn't add any 
water, eh? (Might explain the fizzing though... it certainly didn't seem 
to remove any metal!)

Post a reply to this message