Let’s just say that I know to pick up a bottle by the bottle and not the lid because of sulfuric acid on my jeans. And I wasn’t trying to acid wash them. Damn being a student back then and being assigned the seemingly simple task of cleaning a fridge!
Haha, I totally agree with Will on the Lvl. 3 for HF. I hated even walking past the hood dedicated to its use when I was working in lab and NOT using it.
Also, as a word of caution, never wear jeans or other cotton-based pants into the field if you’re going to be working in an acidic hydrothermal field. (Yeah, I know, it comes up a lot for most people.) If you accidentally crouch over a spot in the ground that’s venting sulfuric acid, and you don’t notice it (surprisingly easy to do), the H2SO4 will eat through the cotton and you end up with a serious wardrobe malfunction.
Yeh, Im a regular HF user. I do notice a lot of people get cagey about the stuff. Wusses. You just gotta keep away from the sharp end…
Pihrana solution… now thats fun stuff… 50/50 mix of 30% hydrogen peroxide / conc sulfuric. Gets very hot when you mix it up, gets stains off almost anything, sets fire to almost anything combustible. We clean stuff with it.. I split a drop on the bench once. just a drop. Wiped it up with a paper towel – going to wet the towel in a tap about 50cm away [std procedure if you spill a drop]. By the time I got to the tap the paper towel had caught on fire.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve clocked how long it takes for various acids to eat through various types of gloves. I figured it’s a useful thing to know if you ever drop your keys in acid (however unlikely).
I’ve worked with many acids but never Hydroflouride acid. I have just read Will Grovers link and i feel slightly inadequate now! What a fantastic acid it is!!
Berated coworker one day for not being able to tell the difference between concentrated H2SO4 and concentrated HCl by the heft. “If you are not going to read the label you should have at least been able to tell by the weight.”
Got 90% hydrogen peroxide on my pants. Burned my skin. Rapid wash with water prevented the full removal of said clothing. Watched a leather glove go up in flames less than 30 seconds after application.
SCIENCE SCOUTS 
Can I suggest a “Level 3” acid badge for those of us who work with hydrofluoric acid?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrofluoric_acid
Let’s just say that I know to pick up a bottle by the bottle and not the lid because of sulfuric acid on my jeans. And I wasn’t trying to acid wash them. Damn being a student back then and being assigned the seemingly simple task of cleaning a fridge!
Haha, I totally agree with Will on the Lvl. 3 for HF. I hated even walking past the hood dedicated to its use when I was working in lab and NOT using it.
Also, as a word of caution, never wear jeans or other cotton-based pants into the field if you’re going to be working in an acidic hydrothermal field. (Yeah, I know, it comes up a lot for most people.) If you accidentally crouch over a spot in the ground that’s venting sulfuric acid, and you don’t notice it (surprisingly easy to do), the H2SO4 will eat through the cotton and you end up with a serious wardrobe malfunction.
Yeh, Im a regular HF user. I do notice a lot of people get cagey about the stuff. Wusses. You just gotta keep away from the sharp end…
Pihrana solution… now thats fun stuff… 50/50 mix of 30% hydrogen peroxide / conc sulfuric. Gets very hot when you mix it up, gets stains off almost anything, sets fire to almost anything combustible. We clean stuff with it.. I split a drop on the bench once. just a drop. Wiped it up with a paper towel – going to wet the towel in a tap about 50cm away [std procedure if you spill a drop]. By the time I got to the tap the paper towel had caught on fire.
Got tons of little white spots all over my driveway from disolving the zinc out of penny with HCl… more for fun than for profit.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve clocked how long it takes for various acids to eat through various types of gloves. I figured it’s a useful thing to know if you ever drop your keys in acid (however unlikely).
I’ve worked with Piranha bath, nitric acid, and aqua regia, but hydrofluoric acid scares me….
I’ve worked with many acids but never Hydroflouride acid. I have just read Will Grovers link and i feel slightly inadequate now! What a fantastic acid it is!!
Berated coworker one day for not being able to tell the difference between concentrated H2SO4 and concentrated HCl by the heft. “If you are not going to read the label you should have at least been able to tell by the weight.”
Got 90% hydrogen peroxide on my pants. Burned my skin. Rapid wash with water prevented the full removal of said clothing. Watched a leather glove go up in flames less than 30 seconds after application.
I’m with Will. Speaking as someone who has worked with HF and perchloric acids as well as fuming nitric acid.
On a side note I think they need a “manufactured explosives” badge for those of us who have done so in the name of science.