Sodium Hydroxide Solution vs Aluminum

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IrishLass

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Right here, silly!
I just saw this video posted on another forum, and it was so eye opening (and kinda cool in a scary way) that I thought I'd post it here. It's a perfect demonstration of why we don't mix lye solution in aluminum:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnPrtYUKke8[/ame]

Kids- don't try this at home!


IrishLass :)
 
Wow. It's easy to 'dismiss' it when people say , "Don't use aluminum. It will react with the lye." React is an understatement. People should tell newbies instead, "Don't use aluminum!!! A violent chemical reaction will occur and can seriously harm you!"

Thx for sharing!
 
Wow. It's easy to 'dismiss' it when people say , "Don't use aluminum. It will react with the lye." React is an understatement. People should tell newbies instead, "Don't use aluminum!!! A violent chemical reaction will occur and can seriously harm you!"

Thx for sharing!

Agreed...."react" is accurate, but doesn't really convey whether it is microscopic (like lye and BS glass) or a violent reaction (like this one) or deadly (like bleach and acid) - more information is usually a good thing.

I wonder what the strengths of the solutions are...coke is highly acidic - but it is phosphoric acid (another reason why detail matters....)
 
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Whoa! :shock:

The girl gets the descriptions a bit twisted there for a sec, but it's very clear to see right from the start which is the real monster. I have worked with many types of acid....but this blows my mind about how fast that Sodium Hydroxide devoured the can.

I had my mom ask me about making soap in an aluminum bowl one time, and I told her under no circumstances, that she could get hurt....she didn't do it, but kinda acted like she may try it one time regardless what of what I told her..and she is the type to do her own 'experiments' while nobody is looking..I have GOT to show her this video!!

Thanks for sharing the find!
 
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Wow! Thanks for sharing this. I always wondered what the reaction actually was. Informative.
 
Wow! When I first started I bought what I thought were stainless steel moulds, turned out to be aluminum and I still remember the volcano. Fortunately I work right beside a sink.
 
Well..dragged my mom to the computer today and let her watch that..her eyes got big as saucers....when I asked if she still wanted to use her aluminum bowls, she was like "uh, I don't think so!!" LOL
 
What they don't say in the video is the steamy vapor coming off the sodium hydroxide mess ... contains explosive hydrogen gas. Most lab hoods are explosion proof, so it probably was a minor hazard for these lab techs, but at home ... ugh.
 
I wonder what the strengths of the solutions are...coke is highly acidic - but it is phosphoric acid (another reason why detail matters....)

That hydrochloric acid is concentrated. It's likely 36%. That container that it is stored in (the little flask looking thing with the ground glass stopper) is the traditional container for highly concentrated acids (sulfuric, nitric, hydrochloric, glacial acetic acid).

When you open up a flask like that of concentrated HCl, it doesn't stay liquid. It will keep fuming and make acrid HCl vapors. You have to work with it in a hood otherwise if you get any inhaled you will be immediately burned/verrry irritated. (Speaking from experience here.)

Phosphoric acid is a weak acid and is present in low amounts in coke. Coke as a pH of about 3.5. That concentrated hydrochloric acid is at a pH of pretty much 0.

I would bet that the NaOH solution is 40% or so. That's pretty much as concentrated as you'll see in labs although sometimes you'll get 45% solutions.

Also, every cool video! Same thing happens with aluminum and iron sulphate (the stuff used to etch copper electronics boards) I've done that in my spare time (used to make etched jewelry). You can do some really cool stuff if you control it. It's a much less violent reaction of course! You definitely want to do it outside though!

ETA:
I'm wrong! I lied, its probably 36% HCl. I was thinking of nitric acid! So sorry!! My bad. HCl will just be vapor at 70-100%... Oops. I fixed it!!
 
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