Years ago I bought a bottle of sulfuric acid from a hardware store with the intend to open a clogged pipe. I ended up opening the clog with another method. The bottle sits unused.
Many toilet bowl cleaners use hydrochloric acid as a main ingredient, since sulfuric acid is similar stuff, can I use it as a toilet bowl cleaner?
I hope you're not serious:
Why not. I use bleach, sometimes Scrub Free. An acid or base will clean well.
Some brands call it hydrochloric acid and some hydrogen chloride. Isn't that strange!
I don't know about this, but phosphoric acid is similar too, and they put that in Coke and we drink it. That doesn't mean we should drink the other acids.
I used to know what stomach acid was..."Gastric acid is a digestive fluid, formed in the stomach. It has a pH of 1 to 2 and is composed of hydrochloric acid (HCl) (around 0.5%, or 5000 parts per million), and large quantities of potassium chloride (KCl) and sodium chloride (NaCl)" wikip
Maybe ask in sci.chemistry if you can use your bottle of acid for this or something else.
I don't see any problem in using it but you have to take more caution with sulfuric acid than hydrochloric acid as I find it more corrosive to clothing than hydrochloric because it will not evaporate and stay on the clothing.
I don't think they sell the concentrations of sulfuric acid that will react violently with water but this is a caution and acid should always be poured into water and not vice versa. It is always a good idea to have on eye protection when working with corrosives.
Additionally the sulfate salts, e.g. ferric sulfate, are not as soluble as the chlorides and sulfuric acid may not be as efficient as hydrochloric in removing stains.
Some toilet bowl cleaners are (were) sodium bisulfate (Vanish for example). Sodium bisulfate is a powder which when mixed with water forms sulfuric acid.
I wouldn't mix methods. I think sulfuric acid and chlorine products can result in poisonous gas.
Frank wrote in news:imta3q$2ji$1@dont- email.me:
the acid will ETCH the porcelain surface and make it harder to clean.
acid is what's used for bathtub refinishing,to etach the porcelain surface for better adhesion of the epoxy finish.
As long as they don't put any dihydrogen monoxide in it, that stuff is really toxic.
Jon
It might, but it is HF that is usually used to etch glass, etc. If sulfuric was that hard on porcelain, it probably would not be recommended as a drain cleaner.
Hydrogen chloride is gas; add water and it becomes hydrochloric acid. ________
Phosphoric acid has about the same relationship to sulphuric acid as Tums do to lye. Whether or not you can drink any depends on the degree of dilution.
What he needs is fuming red nitric acid. (-: I splattered some when I was working in a photochem plant and it burned through my pants (bell bottoms, fortunately) like a ray gun blast and proceeded to dissolve my workboots. I reached for the reinforced chemical wipe clothes we had and within a second the paper had gone up in a puff of smoke leaving only the plastic reinforcing mesh. It taught me to respect the acids of the world.
I wouldn't recommend sulfuric acid for toilet cleaning, especially if the concentration was not known. There are far better, less noxious chemicals like oxalic acid to handle rust stains. Plus, modern toilets seem to have a tendency to spit when flushed. I saw one study that used fluorescent dye in the tank showing that water from the flush could reach as high as the height where people mount toothbrush holders. So, if you're going to use it anyway, flush with the cover down and wear goggles, gloves and long sleeved shirts and long pants.
-- Bobby G.
-- Bobby G.
absolutely NO!!!
the concentration is unknown. pouring acid into water can lead to a raid dissociation reaction which can throw all kinds of stuff back in your face. AND the residue left behind...even a few drops...will be VERY dangerous.
i'm an MS chemist. i use H2SO4 routinely in my work. you do NOT want to do this. H2SO4 has some great properties when used in certain applications but it should NEVER be used for THIS applicatiion!
although you havent suggested it, mixing sodium hypochlorate (bleach) and H2SO4 can release chlorine gas AND sulfuric poured into a drain can react EXPLOSIVELY with any METAL PIPES, organic materials (such as hair, etc) and lead to some REAL unpleasant results.
i'm a chemist and have used sulfuric for 30 years in various applications. this is NOT one of them!
no, no no no....phosphoric acid is a much WEAKER acid than sulfuric is.
i have and MS in chemistry, have used sulfuric for 30 years in industry. this is NOT an application that sulfuric should be used for.
some kid won a science award a few years ago for a project pointing out the hazards of dihydrogen monoxide. we in the coast guard are very familiar with the dangers of this material...
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this is ANOTHER danger...the vapors from the acid. concentrated acid vapors TRAVEL and will mix with ANY water...such as material remaining on the shower walls, etc...
and if you have pets in the house, they often do drink water from the shower (ours do).
should be 'rapid' dissociation reaction...
Perhaps you are thinking of hydroflouric acid? It does attack glass (porcelain), sulfuric does not; after all, it comes in glass bottles :)
Nonetheless, the Works disinfectant toilet bowl cleaner lists the active ingeredient as Hydrogen Chloride, its only mention.
And Lysol disinfectant power toilet bowl cleaner says that and also says "Contains Hydrochloric Acid".
Yes, yes, yes, they are similar in that they are both acids. You don't seem to have gotten my point, which is that not all acids are alike, which is the same point I think you made in your first reply to LSMFT, after I posted.
Tell the other Bob, not me.
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