Re: Acid/Base Science Project
- From: Bob <bbx107.XYZ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 06 May 2006 09:39:40 -0700
On 5 May 2006 21:35:23 -0700, "The Myst Warrior"
<TheMystWarrior@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I have to do a science project where I mix an acid and a base to create
a salt. My teacher said that mixing vinegar and ammonia until they
neutralized would be the way to do it and said it was safe. My parents
are worried about gases created from it and other problems.
It is commonly advised that one should not mix two cleaners. In some
cases, dangerous gases can be produced. Bleach + ammonia is a very bad
mixture. This is probably the basis of your parents' concern.
The specific mixture vinegar + ammonia is not a problem. Both starting
materials have odors (and both are mildly hazardous -- do this in a
well-ventilated area), but no hazardous gas will be produced in this
case.
Are you going to isolate the solid salt from the solution after
neutralization? This may take a while. The solution is mostly water,
and the salt is very soluble. Letting the water evaporate takes a
while! If you heat it, to speed water removal, the salt may also
volatilize in this case. So heat gently; don't boil.
My question
is this: is it safe to mix vinegar and ammonia and if not, what could I
use instead? I originally was going to use hydrochloric acid and sodium
hydroxide but my teacher didn't have them with her and told me that
vinegar and ammonia would work just as well.
Hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide work well, but they are quite
hazardous. If you do this, be on your very best chem lab behavior.
That is, use great care. (Sodium hydroxide on skin is VERY serious.)
If your teacher will help... Try making a salt from the _vapors_ from
hydrochloric acid and ammonia. To do this, you must use fairly
concentrated solutions --so there is a lot of vapor coming off. As a
result, this is smelly, as well as hazardous, so take care -- but with
teacher supervision, it should be ok. Put a few drops of each a couple
inches apart (drops NOT touching) on a solid surface, and just watch.
(Then try it with drops further apart.)
bob
.
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