Spirits of Salt

droopsnoot

I've used citric acid for rust removal on car parts, soaking them for a while in a 10% solution. It's not 100% but it does seem to have done the trick. I've done nothing more than wash off with water, though I'm not sure how that would work between seams. That said, I'm not sure how any neutraliser would work in there, from the point of view that you'd never be sure it had penetrated in the same way that the acid did. I read that there are sometimes issues like this when people have car bodyshells acid-dipped to remove rust.

pappa_golf

agrinnall wrote: »

I have a degree in chemistry (obtained 35 years ago and not really used since, but this is pretty basic stuff).

I would not recommend using an alkali to neutralise hydrochloric acid in a domestic setting. Your best bet is to let somebody who know what they are doing take on the task, but if you insist on doing it then rather than attempt neutralisation I would simply wash off the acid multiple times. If you can get hold of some litmus paper you can tell when it's back to neutral pH.

so are household bleach , Sodium bicarbonate or baking soda the wrong products for doing this job?

agrinnall

pappa_golf wrote: »

so are household bleach , Sodium bicarbonate or baking soda the wrong products for doing this job?

Yes, because you have no idea what sort of exothermic reaction will result, and what flammable gases will be produced.

paddyrg

Theoretically for pure ingredients, sodium bicarbonate is a good choice - NaHCO3(s) + HCl(aq) --> NaCl(aq) + H2O(l) + CO2(g) with the resulting compounds being salt, carbon dioxide, and water. It is exothermic, however, so there's a bunch of heat being given out. It also fizzes , so may overspill any container

pappa_golf

paddyrg wrote: »

Theoretically for pure ingredients, sodium bicarbonate is a good choice - NaHCO3(s) + HCl(aq) --> NaCl(aq) + H2O(l) + CO2(g) with the resulting compounds being salt, carbon dioxide, and water. It is exothermic, however, so there's a bunch of heat being given out. It also fizzes , so may overspill any container

thank you , the job will be done outdoors , on the container after it has been flushed with clean water several times

I only wish the neutralizer had of been petrol , job would have been a lot easier

agrinnall

If you're going ahead with it then make sure you wear eye protection and gloves.

pappa_golf

do you wear eye protection and gloves when you pour spirit of salts down the toilet?

Anne_Marie_2

pappa_golf wrote: »

do you wear eye protection and gloves when you pour spirit of salts down the toilet?

Certainly not an expert on this one, but I use a liquid here called Tuz Rehu, which is hydrochloric acid, but not sure of the strength, to get rid of limescale in my loos. I always wear rubber gloves and eye protection, just to be on the safe side. Tried to open the container just once without gloves, and never again...stung my hands like mad immediately, then had an allergic reaction. So, better being safe than sorry. Dread to think what could happen if in contact with eyes.

I use citric acid for getting rid of limescale on stainless steel such as sinks, taps, shower heads, as hydrochloric acid is not suitable for this, and will cause damage that can never be righted. (Stainless steel sink in my case, bodged by workmen before we even moved in.)

agrinnall

pappa_golf wrote: »

do you wear eye protection and gloves when you pour spirit of salts down the toilet?

Why would I want to pour hydrochloric acid down my toilet? But if I did then yes, I'd use hand and eye protection.

pappa_golf

and as first asked , the product is called spirits of salt , which is a household product sold for (amongst other things )cleaning loos

in my initial post I said "I am lead to believe is a form of Hydrochloric acid (according to wiki)"

however I have just been back and edited it to read "custard cremes " , thats how acurate wiki is