Drain cleaner solutions

Observation Sodium hydroxide dissolves and the mixture gets very hot, wool and paper pieces dissolve in the concentrated solution. The same happens in the drain cleaner solution. 

Read the labels before mixing household cleansers. Many toilet-bowl cleaners contain acidic solutions, as do some drain cleaners, rust removers, and, of course, vinegar. Never mix bleach with these products. You could sustain permanent lung damage. 

Now we must basify our solution. By doing this we will "unhook" the salt and transform the alkaloid into its "free base" form. The alkaloids will no longer be a salt, nor will they be soluble in water. This allows us to extract them with the organic solvent added in STEP 7. Ammonium hydroxide is normally used, but for our experiment we will be using NaOH found in household lye crystals (Red Devil drain cleaner) and purchased at hardware stores. Lye is very caustic and can react violently. Take the proper precautions when using lye. 

Commercially available drain cleaners such as Drano and Liquid-Plumr all contain sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as an active ingredient for dissolving grease J1-5 Crystal drain cleaners contain the solid form of sodium hydroxide, while liquid drain cleaners are strong solutions of dissolved sodium hydroxide. In addition,... 

Read the label of the crystal drain cleaner package. Understand that the compound is solid sodium hydroxide that contains aluminum. When the material is added to water, sodium hydroxide dissolves rapidly, producing heat. Aluminum reacts with water in the basic solution to produce Al(OH)4 ions and hydrogen gas. Is aluminum oxidized or reduced in the reaction Is hydrogen oxidized or reduced in the reaction Explain your answers. 

A 10-0 cm3 volume of a liquid drain cleaner containing sodium hydroxide was diluted to 250 cm3 g standard flask. Samples of this diluted solution with volumes of 25-0 cm3 ere pipetted into a conical flask and titrated against a 0-220 mol h sulfuric acid solution. The average of the concordant titres was 17-8 cm3. Calculate the mass of sodium hydroxide in one litre of the drain cleaner. 

In some bases, you can see the hydroxide ion in the formula itself. For example, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is the primary compound in Drano, a drain cleaner. When it is mixed with water, hydroxide ions are dispersed into the solution as the NaOH dissolves. 

Copper and aluminum wire seem similar. Both are used in electrical wiring. But the aluminum visibly dissolves in this caustic solution, and the copper wire does not. The bubbles you observed rising from the dissolving aluminum are hydrogen, which explains why thin strips of aluminum foil are added to some lye-based drain cleaners to provide agitation to help break up clogs. 

Third-degree burns can occur if skin comes into contact for more than 4 s with water that is hotter than 60°C (140°F). Suppose someone accidentally poured hydrochloric acid into a glass-disposal container that already contained the drain cleaner NaOH and the container shattered. The solution in the container was approximately 55 g of NaOH and 450 mL of hydrochloric acid solution containing 1.35 mol of HCl (a 3.0 M HCl solution). K the initial temperature of the solutions was 25 °C, could a mixture hot enough to cause burns have resulted ... 

We often use solutions to supply the reactants for chemical reactions. Solutions allow the most intimate mixing of the reacting substances at the molecular level, much more than would be possible in solid form. (A practical example is drain cleaner, shown in the photo.) We sometimes adjust the concentrations of solutions to speed up or slow down the rate of a reaction. In this section we study methods for expressing the quantities of the various components present in a given amount of solution. 

Drano drain cleaner is solid sodium hydroxide that contains some aluminum chips. When Drano is added to water, the NaOH dissolves rapidly with the evolution of a lot of heat. The A1 reduces H2O in the basic solution to produce [AlfOHlJ ions and H2 gas, which gives the bubbhng action. Write the balanced net ionic and formula unit equations for this reaction. 

The next step is to add a base to our solution. One often used in extraction formulas is ammonium hydroxide, a liquid. If this is unobtainable you can substitute regular household lye crystals (sold as drain cleaner) dissolved in water to a high concentration. (Lye is a dangerous chemical. Read and follow all of the instructions on the can.) This fluid is added in small increments to the aqueous solution, shaking the mixture each time, then testing it until eventually the pH reaches 9 or 10. Be patient. It usually takes many careful applications before the pH is where you want it. If you re in too much of a hurry, it is easy to make the solution far more alkaline than necessary. 

Use beaker tongs to handle hot beakers. Wear an apron and goggles. Some of the solutions to be tested are caustic, especially the drain cleaner. Avoid all contact with skin and eyes. If contact occurs, immediately wash with large amounts of water and notify the teacher. 

Regarding the aggressiveness of metal hydroxides, one could also mention drain cleaners as a common household aid (see E7.4) organic materials such as cloth fabrics, paper or hair dissolve when these concentrated hydroxide solutions are used. In addition, a diluted hydroxide solution has aggressive effects on clothing as soon as the water evaporates, the aggressive effect of the hydroxide sets in and holes appear in the clothing. In this context, one should always clearly differentiate between solid sodium hydroxide and its basic solution in water. 

Procedure Cover several pieces of sodium hydroxide with a few ml of water in a beaker and stir with the thermometer. Add wool and paper pieces to the solution and stir well. Repeat the test with drain cleaner, and interpret the label on the bottle. 

Aluminum metal reacts rapidly with highly basic solutions to liberate hydrogen gas and a large amount of heat. This reaction is utilized in a popular solid drain cleaner that is composed primarily of lye (sodium hydroxide) and aluminum granules. When wet, the mixture reacts as follows ... 

Toilet bowl cleaners are often corrosive as well. Hard water leaves calcium carbonate deposits in the toilet bowl that accumulate dirt and grime. Acids react with carbonates, dissolving them. Consequently, many toilet bowl cleaners are acidic solutions such as hydrochloric acid or citric acid. As with drain cleaners, these products are corrosive and should not contact the skin. Since drain cleaners contain strong bases, and toilet bowl cleaners contain strong acids, the two should not be mixed because the resulting neutralization reaction is vigorous and could splatter the caustic solution onto your skin. 

Amphoterism. Mg liberates from an acidic aqueous medium faster than does Al, but A1 liberates much faster from an aqueous solution of NaOH. (Al and NaOH are used in drain cleaners.) With the aid of chemical equations and bearing in mind the difPerence in behavior of Mg(OH)2 and A1(0H)3 towards OH , explain these observations. 

Common household substances that contain acids and bases. Vinegar is a dilute solution of acetic acid. Drain cleaners contain strong bases such as sodium hydroxide. 

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