All Questions
Tagged with everyday-chemistry acid-base
101 questions
-4
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1
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77
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Does sulfuric acid in snow damage fabric?
Had to do an emergency work in deep snow, in results my black cotton clothes were soaked in it. To my basic knowledge “regular” snow may contain not only salts but also sulfuric acid.
Will snow-...
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
103
views
Making Sodium Citrate
I've been trying to make Sodium Citrate and I've seen online people saying just react sodium bicarbonate with citric acid in water (with correct ratios) and boil off/remove water once the reaction has ...
0
votes
0
answers
2k
views
Chemistry behind cleaning with vinegar vs citric acid; do they work differently? Should I prepare the same pH solutions to compare them?
I noticed a pack of "Mysterious Citric Acid" while out shopping so I picked it up to see what the big deal was. Several palates of the stuff had just arrived at a local outlet store. I ...
- 5,997
-2
votes
1
answer
113
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Creating Chloramines
I'm currently conducting some testing related to indoor pool environments.
Here I believe, airborne chloramines are responsible for stress corrosion cracking in austenitic stainless steels.
...
- 65
-2
votes
1
answer
442
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Small amount of sulfuric acid down drain - questions [closed]
Bought some drain cleaner from my local hardware store, the guy at the counter said its powerful stuff that barbers use to clear hair from drains. Said to not put my head above the drain while using ...
- 1
4
votes
1
answer
300
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What results from the neutralization of copper citrate with Na2CO3
I found this question that describes PCB etching with citric acid. The answer to that question explains how hydrogen peroxide, salt, and citric acid can be used to ionize copper metal in water, which ...
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-1
votes
1
answer
45
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The edge case of an edge case: Vapor emissions of the descaling agent Sulfamic acid
I am wondering about the following scenario:
What happens if ready bought sulfamic acid descaling (usually 15% cont. + $\ce{H2O}$) is vaporized or at least steam develops while very briefly descaling ...
- 1
9
votes
1
answer
3k
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Why does my sand dissolve in citric acid?
I soaked and washed white Darice decorative sand in distilled water. I added food-grade citric acid to different distilled water, then I sprinkled in a few grains of the sand. The sand bubbled and ...
- 99
4
votes
0
answers
80
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Why do vessels get a better shine when tea-leaves are soaked overnight in it before washing?
The other day I dumped consumed tea leaves into a brass utensil because I needed the tea-pan urgently. The vessel with the tea leaves didn't get around for cleaning until the next day. Ergo, the tea ...
- 904
0
votes
1
answer
2k
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How do you calculate percentage acidity?
I am looking to calculate the percentage acidity of different drinks for the purposes of devising cocktail recipes. According to Liquid Intelligence by David Arnold, the optimum acidity level is 0.7-0....
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6
votes
3
answers
3k
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Are acids effective in removing soap scum?
In my experience, most of the commercial products intended for removing soap scum from bathroom surfaces are ineffective. No matter how long you leave it on or how hard you scrub, the soap scum doesn'...
- 922
11
votes
1
answer
3k
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Why measure both alkalinity and pH in pools if pH alone tells us how acidic or basic something is?
I am trying to better understand the chemistry of maintaining my pool so that I can use the least amount of chemicals to control algae growth and I'm confused by the need to measure both total ...
- 221
8
votes
1
answer
1k
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Is powdered acid dangerous? [closed]
I was told that an acid is only dangerous because it releases $\ce{H+}$ ions when in contact with water.
Therefore, powdered acid should be completely safe on skin provided that your skin is not ...
- 91
0
votes
1
answer
1k
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How to dissolve brass surrounded by aluminium?
I have a broken off brass needle stuck in a caste aluminum hole. (It’s the pilot mixture jet on a carburetor).
I was wondering if there was a chemical that would dissolve the brass while not reacting ...
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2
votes
0
answers
739
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The pH of tap water changes with time [closed]
My following questions are related to $\mathrm{pH}$ values in irrigation water in plants.
I got a $\mathrm{pH}$ meter and I am measuring the tap water and I get an value about 8.
My first question: ...
- 31
2
votes
0
answers
31
views
About the acidity of Sultiame [closed]
Why is sulthiam base even hough sulfur can accept the electron by resonance from nitrogen
like carbonyl group do?
- 29
0
votes
0
answers
377
views
About the acidity of phenytoin
Can you explain why phenitoin is weak acid even though nitrogen is base?
Does carbonyl group always make structure acid?
If this structure doesn't have carbonyl group, would it be base not acid?
- 29
1
vote
1
answer
3k
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What concentration is phenolphthalein indicator ? 1% or 0.1%
I read some information about phenolphthalein indicator, some websites suggested phenolphthalein indicator of 1%, others mentioned phenolphthalein indicator of 0.1%. What is the difference of both of ...
- 11
1
vote
2
answers
1k
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Does carbonation permanently increase the acidity of soda water?
If you carbonate water, and then expose the resulting soda water to the atmosphere and wait until it goes completely flat, will the (former) soda water end up more acidic in final equilibrium than ...
- 121
-1
votes
1
answer
842
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Acids and Bases (Spectator Ions Identification)
In an acid reaction with water, or other solvents, how do we know which atom(s) from a compound reacted with that solvent are the spectator ions? Are they the ones soluble in the solvent?
Is the way ...
- 15
2
votes
0
answers
302
views
Adding acid to hard water to prevent limescale deposition
Acid is commonly used to remove deposited limescale. If I wanted to prevent build-up of limescale in appliances, would it make sense to add acid to the water in the first place if that doesn't harm ...
- 121
-2
votes
2
answers
2k
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What is the difference between enthalpy change and energy change? [closed]
This question seems really dumb but I rather be safe than sorry. I read about enthalpy change in my chemistry textbook which defines enthalpy change as the energy exchange between a chemical reaction ...
2
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Why is HCl the acid of choice for swimming pools?
Why is muriatic acid the go to acid to put into pools? Does it work better than nitric acid, sulfuric acid, or another strong acid? I mean they all will add the same amount of H+ right? Note, we use ...
- 1,167
5
votes
0
answers
685
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Is there an adhesive that is not dissolved by acetone?
I am trying to glue glass sheets together to make a sealed 13" x 13" x 13" box. Inside this box there would be acetone gas used to melt 3D printed parts to make them more durable. Acetone will remove ...
- 51
1
vote
1
answer
1k
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The effects of acetic acid on porous concrete brick and mortar joints
I mistakenly applied a patio cleaner containing acetic acid to my porous concrete facing brick thinking it was biocide. The concentrate solution has a pH of 3 and I diluted it to one part concentrate ...
-1
votes
2
answers
116
views
Addition of acid and base to buffer system [closed]
So I was doing my chemistry assignment and became stuck. Can I get some help?
a) Calculate the pH of a buffer system that contains 0.40 M of NH3(aq) and 0.50 M of NH4Cl(aq) . Note that the Kb value ...
- 3
7
votes
1
answer
1k
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Understanding sodium hydroxide drain cleaner's exothermic dissolution of aluminum; does the aluminum need to be oxidized before it dissolves?
I'm not a chemist but I remember that the standard HF/nitric silicon etch used in micro-fabrication supposedly worked in two steps; the HF would dissolve the thin SiO2 oxide layer on the silicon ...
- 5,997
3
votes
1
answer
3k
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Comparing basic strength order of amines
In the above question I was asked to compare the basic strength order.
So I did it like this:
The Nitrogen in I and II will not participate in resonance so the only effect it could produce is ...
- 113
18
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Why is it considered acid rain with pH <5.6?
I recently read in a book that rain is considered acid rain if the pH falls below 5.6. However a substance is acidic when the pH is below 7; so why is the boundary for acid rain 5.6?
I was thinking ...
- 748
0
votes
1
answer
375
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Reverse washing soda buildup on stainless steel
In a home brewing project, I use washing soda (Na2CO3) to remove labels and glue from previously used bottles. In doing this, my flip-top bottles (which have a stainless steel flip top arm) often get ...
- 109
2
votes
1
answer
304
views
Why is the pH level of carbonation loss decreasing then increases afterwards?
We have done an experiment of the titration of unsealed sprite soda to find the amount of carbonic acid being loss on various duration (0 to 1 hour), due to decrease pressure.
The calculation was to ...
- 21
0
votes
0
answers
315
views
Adding apple cider vinegar to a solid DIY deodorant
If I wanted to add a bit of apple cider vinegar to my oil based deodorant, to increase antimicrobial properties, would this cause me to need a preservative? My deodorant is not water based, so I don't ...
13
votes
2
answers
9k
views
Why are synthetic pH indicators used over natural indicators?
Synthetic indicators seem to be exclusively used when determining the pH of a substance with an indicator (with the exception of that school experiment where you boil cabbage to demonstrate natural pH ...
- 143
-1
votes
1
answer
195
views
Quantity of base needed to neutralise litre of 36% HCl?
Sorry for asking a basic chemistry question. I last did this kind of chemistry at school about 30 years ago and I don't have confidence that I'd get it right from first principles :)
Short version: ...
- 419
4
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Maximum possible hypochlorite concentration from electrolysis?
For reference, "electrochlorination" is just the electrolysis of a simple solution of water and table salt (NaCl) followed by reintroducing the chlorine gas produced.
But, the Wikipedia article on "...
- 1,566
0
votes
2
answers
610
views
Predicting products of chemical equations? [duplicate]
Consider the equation $\ce{2 NaOH (aq) +Cl2 (g) —> NaOCl (aq) + NaCl (aq) + H2O (l)}$. How would one know the products of this reaction? Is there a general way of doing this? I would have no ...
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55
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2
answers
22k
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Why don't we explode after drinking water?
It is known that acid should be added to water and not the opposite because it results in an exothermic reaction.
Our stomach contains HCl, so why don't we explode when we drink water?
- 747
2
votes
1
answer
2k
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Why was my soap measured as acidic?
I've always been told soap is basic in pH. A few years back in a high school chemistry class, we measured the pH of various substances with universal pH indicator. We measured some liquid hand soap ...
- 1,167
2
votes
1
answer
3k
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What is a suitable acid to remove limewash from masonry brick
Diluted Hydrochloric acid is often touted as the only thing to remove limewash from masonry but the process is dangerous and can adversely affect the bricks, color changes can readily occur.
Is there ...
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votes
1
answer
4k
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Is it possible to neutralize acids with vinegar (e.g. when experiencing heartburn)? [closed]
I would like to know if it is possible to neutralize heartburn with a shot of vinegar, or if one should only use basics (like edible soda). What I know from high school, is that you can neutralize ...
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How does % purity on household products work?
For example, toilet bowl cleaner is 9.5% HCl. Does this mean that for every 90.5 moles of H2O (or other stuff) there is 9.5 moles of HCl? Does it mean that for every 90.5 g of H2O there are 9.5 g of ...
- 39
0
votes
0
answers
167
views
Formulation solubility?
Creatine is a popular sports/fitness supplement, generally sold as a powder to be mixed with water (usually like 5-10g creatine per serving). However, it is not very "soluble" in water -- barely 13.3g/...
- 1,566
2
votes
0
answers
87
views
Pulling Calcium Phosphate from Animal Bones
I am looking to pull Calcium Phosphate out of animal bones (chicken, fish, etc) without destroying the collagen. If I soak animal bones in brown rice vinegar will the vinegar pull out Calcium ...
- 21
1
vote
0
answers
86
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Cationic Detergent with no odor [closed]
I am looking for a cationic detergent for a project. Unfortunately most ( or all?) cationic detergents are quaternary ammonium that smell like rotten fish or even worse
The product I am working on ...
- 2,141
28
votes
2
answers
5k
views
How to properly store acids at home?
I bought different kinds of acid for experiments and home usage that I stored in secured containers into an IKEA cabinet.
I just realized that despite the fact that all the containers are properly ...
- 613
12
votes
1
answer
4k
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Explanation of Lemon Juice-Invisible Ink
A cute homegrown spy-trick we all know: lemon juice invisible ink. But there is no scholary article available in the internet about this phenomenon.
A rough explanation I found in Scientific American:...
- 2,331
4
votes
1
answer
1k
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Using baking soda paste (alkaline) to "neutralize" honeybee venom (acidic). Is this scientifically sound?
I recall reading (courtesy: my 9th grade Chemistry text-book, chapter Acids, Bases and Salts), something along the lines of:
Bee venom is acidic. This is why the area of skin (stung by a bee) is ...
- 18.8k
1
vote
0
answers
674
views
Why does acetic acid combined with dirt turn blue? [closed]
Around my faucet was some mysterious dirt from a previous tenant. I poured acetic acid with a concentration of 25 percent over it. I came back after a few hours and noticed some blue stains which hadn'...
- 29
4
votes
1
answer
5k
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Temperature change and gas evolution for vinegar and baking soda experiment
This is sort of 2 questions in 1, but I think they are related.
Could someone please explain why this endothermic reaction doesn't further decrease the temperature when the amount of baking soda is ...
- 43
1
vote
1
answer
3k
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What's the reaction when bleaching hair with lemon juice (citric acid)?
Is the acid working as an oxidizer or reducer with the melanin of the hair breaking down the bonds?
- 515