My Ongoing Series of Experiments, Questions, and Creations: Neutralization

[The Hunter]

Hey, as you've probably gotten from the really long title and much shorter description, this is going to be a series of experiments and creations in which I'm going to often ask questions because a lot of the information I want is difficult for me to find a condensed version of on the internet. Other than here.

 

The first thing I want to do is mix battery acid and a powerful base in a container that the acid won't eat through, then evaluate it's byproducts, the reaction itself, and whatever else. A few quick questions.

 

1. How do I get battery acid from a battery? All that's available to me is alkaline, but I could possibly buy something else if that won't work.

2. What will battery acid not eat through? Cheap. CHEAP.

3. What should I use as a base that I can find easily and would create a more powerful reaction? This one's pretty self explanatory.

[elementcollector1]

First, you need to understand batteries. Having taken apart almost every battery made from alkaline to NiCd to lithium, none of these contain 'battery acid' (diluted sulfuric acid) except for a car battery, which is expensive unless you can find one in a junkyard. Obtaining the acid should be a relatively simple matter of taking the top part of the battery off, and decanting the liquid (do NOT attempt to filter, H2SO4 will eat right through it) into a glass container. Pyrex, mason jar, beaker if you have one.

 

As for bases, your options are relatively few:

1) Sodium hydroxide, NaOH. This is a common and very strong base, and can be found in the drain cleaners section of McLendon's or some such under names such as "100% Lye", "Lye Crystals", etc. Be sure to check, upon opening, that your product is a waxy white solid.

2) Sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3, also known as baking soda.

 

Do you intend to do titration of the acid? What exactly do you mean by 'evaluating the products of the reaction, etc'?

 

EDIT: The part about removing the sulfuric acid from the car battery is speculation on my part; as I have never been fortunate enough to take apart an actual car battery.

Edited September 10, 2012 by elementcollector1

[The Hunter]

Collector, that's some great stuff. Now I know my procedure.

Step one: Heat diluted sulfuric acid (bought from automotive supply store) until all water is removed. Do so in a Pyrex glass container with baking soda on hand, to neutralize in case of spillage.

Step two: Pour portion of acid into separate container.

Step three: Add sodium hydroxide.

Step four: ????

Step five: Collect and analyze all data as previously mentioned. I'll do titration of the acid.

Step six: Post results, possibly video link.

[weiming1998]

Collector, that's some great stuff. Now I know my procedure.

Step one: Heat diluted sulfuric acid (bought from automotive supply store) until all water is removed. Do so in a Pyrex glass container with baking soda on hand, to neutralize in case of spillage.

Step two: Pour portion of acid into separate container.

Step three: Add sodium hydroxide.

Step four: ????

Step five: Collect and analyze all data as previously mentioned. I'll do titration of the acid.

Step six: Post results, possibly video link.

 

I'm not sure what you're trying to do here, and your procedure can be really dangerous.

 

Firstly, boiling H2SO4 in one of those cooking Pyrex glass containers? I wouldn't go with that. They are made of specially treated soda-lime glass, not borosilicate, and won't take the heat of boiling concentrated H2SO4 (around 300 degrees). When the glass shatters, the hot, concentrated acid will spatter, eating through whatever you are boiling it on, making large mists of H2SO4, and possibly injure you whether you have baking soda to neutralise it or not. Use a proper laboratory beaker to boil the acid in, much safer.

 

Second, adding NaOH to concentrated H2SO4 = violent reaction, possibly explosion. Acids and bases reacts vigorously to form salts. H2SO4 reacts violently with water alone, and I imagine the reaction between NaOH and it would be even more violent, shattering whatever you are holding the stuff in, creating very hot water vapour, and could burn you. You need to dilute down the acid first, and use a standard solution of NaOH instead of the pure solid.

 

Finally, if you want to do titration, just titrate the battery acid directly (with a SOLUTION of NaOH). Boiling it down until it loses as much acid as it loses water gives a constant 96-98% H2SO4, so there's no point titrating.