View Single Post
  #2  
Old 2014-05-30, 1:34pm
rnmcginnis rnmcginnis is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 20, 2008
Location: Port Angeles, WA
Posts: 77
Default

Nitric acid is corrosive and fairly dangerous. If you decide to proceed, I would not use concentrated nitric acid. Use a 50% concentration solution at most. Make certain to use good ventilation. Nitric acid reacts with copper to form copper nitrate (dissolves the copper away) and nitric oxide gas which is irritating and toxic to breathe.
Also, wear gloves and safety glasses. Nitric acid is very corrosive to skin - it turns skin into dull yellow leather on contact.

The waste liquid from the process will contain high concentrations of copper (toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms) and will still be acid. The acid can be neutralized by slowly adding baking soda or sodium hydroxide (lye). It will get warm and may splatter. Baking soda will bubble and foam.

Roger - (chemist in my day job)
Reply With Quote