Sulfuric acid cucumbers
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Sulfuric acid cucumbers

[From: ] [author: ] [Date: 12-07-09] [Hit: ]
Both acids can be hazardous. Concentrated acetic acid is far less corrosive than sulfuric acid; however, acetic acid has an overpowering stench. In fact several species of invertebrates use this acid to deter predators. A squirt gun full of acetic acid would probably stop a grizzly bear, although it would do the bear no permanent harm.......
I have read that acetic acid has the same NFPA health rating as sulfuric acid (3) which was very confusing. Since vinegar is most often 5% acetic acid, would it be any more dangerous if it were sulfuric acid? So if you were to put cucumbers in a bowl of 5% sulfuric acid vinegar why would it not be safe to eat? I know I am not understanding something

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To a chemist, the difference between the two acids is that one is weak and the other strong. This means that sulfuric acid ionizes completely while acetic acid stays mostly as an inert molecule. This is why it takes more acetic acid to lower the pH of a solution than it would take using sulfuric acid.

Both acids can be hazardous. Concentrated acetic acid is far less corrosive than sulfuric acid; however, acetic acid has an overpowering stench. In fact several species of invertebrates use this acid to deter predators. A squirt gun full of acetic acid would probably stop a grizzly bear, although it would do the bear no permanent harm. The same is certainly not true of sulfuric acid. This acid is odorless, but decomposes organic substances by hydrolyzing them. A graphic example of this is the old science fair trick of mixing sulfuric acid and sugar. The result is lots of steam and the creation of a black, twisting tube of carbon. The acid has removed most of the hydrogen and oxygen from the sugar, leaving the carbon behind. Of course this acid does the same thing to your skin. It also heats up quite a lot if water is added, and this is where the "acid to water not water to acid" warning probably originated.

Vinegar is around 5% acetic acid. I estimate a 5% solution of sulfuric acid would probably burn your tongue and give you a terrible case of heartburn. Curiously, there are sulfate ions in pickles. This comes from the salt aluminum sulfate, otherwise known as alum. It is the substance which turns cucumbers into pickles. Since the hydrogen has been replaced by aluminum in alum, this salt is not corrosive like the acid is.
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