Battery acid on Marble worktops

x12yhp

leftieM wrote: »

Strictly speaking, marble is a base as it is not soluble in water.
Sorry, teaching it to the 14 year olds today. Couldn't resist! :cool:

You're right though. Conc. sulphuric acid + calcium carbonate (and its basic pals) = no chance of removing stain.

After many years of working as a research scientist, I find it best to stick with the words most easily recognised rather than those which are strictly accurate!

Besides, calcium carbonate is slightly soluble in water, maybe something like 0.1% but it is a while since I worried about it!

saverbuyer

If it wasn't soluable in water we wouldn't have the wonderful stalagmites and stalactites we see in Marble Arch.

Ben84

As others have said, it's going to be a permanent chemical change to the marble, rather than a stain you can clean off somehow. It may be possible to have it polished out by removing the top layer of marble to reveal undamaged marble below as the new surface - but this really depends how deep the damage is.

Valli

ah - scientists have been- nothing to add, other than to go with the strategically placed chopping board.
Hope you're not going to remind your idiot of a husband about this at every opportunity

*wanders off*

leftieM

saverbuyer wrote: »

If it wasn't soluable in water we wouldn't have the wonderful stalagmites and stalactites we see in Marble Arch.

That's the reaction of carbonic acid with calcium carbonate. Double award chemistry
It's a base. 0.1% solubility? There wouldn't be a limestone rock in the country.
It's solubility is 0.0014% according to Google.

Sorry, I'm done with the GCSE teacher stuff I promise.

bribrian

A few years ago when I bought an expensive marble fireplace the guy that made it gave me a tip to take out stains like wine etc... As marble is porous you need to make a poultice to draw the stain out. Mix some bleach with flour/washing powder into a paste and put on the stain. When it dries it'll pull the stain out... I tried it once with bleach/washing powder & it worked a treat...

x12yhp

leftieM wrote: »

That's the reaction of carbonic acid with calcium carbonate. Double award chemistry
It's a base. 0.1% solubility? There wouldn't be a limestone rock in the country.
It's solubility is 0.0014% according to Google.

Sorry, I'm done with the GCSE teacher stuff I promise.

Though wiki is pretty clear with 0.15g/100ml!

Irrelevant of course but I feel inclined to argue with a school chemistry teacher because, having done a PhD in atomic physics, I learnt that a surprising amount of school chemistry wasn't actually true... rather an approximation to the truth because the truth was too complicated!

leftieM

I can assure you that, if you take 0.15g of chalk and try to dissolve it in 100ml of water you will have a long wait. Feel free to try of course.
(For the record, they probably meant mg per 100ml. Further down the same page that you glanced at they say that "Calcium carbonate is poorly soluble in pure water (47 mg/L at normal atmospheric CO2 partial pressure")

I take your PhD in atomic physics and I raise you a PhD in Organic Chemistry. To use a charming local phrase,
slap it into ye.

Mistral001

It looks like replacement is the only answer as grinding will only be viable if the damage is surface and you will not know if it is just on the surface unless without some distructive testing.

Bite the bullet and get it done. No cover up or fancy tricks if you want to have a serious chance of selling the house.

caz2703

x12yhp wrote: »

Though wiki is pretty clear with 0.15g/100ml!

Irrelevant of course but I feel inclined to argue with a school chemistry teacher because, having done a PhD in atomic physics, I learnt that a surprising amount of school chemistry wasn't actually true... rather an approximation to the truth because the truth was too complicated!

leftieM wrote: »

I can assure you that, if you take 0.15g of chalk and try to dissolve it in 100ml of water you will have a long wait. Feel free to try of course.
(For the record, they probably meant mg per 100ml. Further down the same page that you glanced at they say that "Calcium carbonate is poorly soluble in pure water (47 mg/L at normal atmospheric CO2 partial pressure")

I take your PhD in atomic physics and I raise you a PhD in Organic Chemistry. To use a charming local phrase,
slap it into ye.

Geek fight :T

Sorry OP but I'd replace the work top and possibly the husband while you're at it