I recently visited an art center where I will teach in the near
future. Having just read on this list about the considerable
dangers of Nitric Acid, I was concerned to find Nitric Acid in a
glass container with lid, labeled with an old piece of masking tape
in fading pen.
Of course, the acid was also a mere two feet from the coffee pot.
What steps can I take to improve the safety of this situation?
Thank you, Elaine
Elaine Luther
Chicago area, Illinois, USA
Certified PMC Instructor
@E_Luther
Hello Elaine, As a general rule strong acids (like nitric acid)
should be stored in the original, closed glass container with
durable, legible label on the side. Many such glass containers have
a plastic coating to cushion the glass from blows. The container is
stored at the lowest level or shelf possible. Any disposable or
food items (the coffee pot) should be stored on higher levels. An
additional safety measure would be to “nest” the container in
another, non- reactive container to contain leaks - DO NOT use metal
for this purpose. I hope John Burgess jumped in on this one. He
can speak to real world chemistry!! (Hi John.) Judy in Kansas,
where we finally got significant rain during the second half of the
football game. The students loved it.
Judy M. Willingham, R.S.
Biological and Agricultural Engineering
237 Seaton Hall
Kansas State University
Manhattan KS 66506
(785) 532-2936