Would mixing 85% formic acid and 32% sulphuric acid be harmful?
- Posted:
- 3+ months ago by witchywoo...
- Topics:
- acid, science lab
Responses (1)
Formic acid is what makes an ant bite hurt so much. (Formicus is a species of ants from which it was first extracted.) Sulfuric acid is commony called battery acid: it will eat holes in your clothes if you just walk past it.
Concentrated sulfuric acid is a strong dehydrating agent. In a solution it dehydrates formic acid to release carbon monoxide. You will want to wear appropriate protective clothing and work in a vent hood.
Always fully research the chemistry of an experiment before you do anything. For instance I once dropped a silver ring into Windex to clean it. I didn't know that ammonia dissolves silver. I also didn't know that ammonia-silver is an explosive when it dries out.