Drain cleaner

When water is added to a mixture of aluminum metal and sodium hydroxide, hydrogen gas is produced. This is the reaction used in commercial drain cleaners ... 

Figure 1.4 Above are some common household acids and bases. The items on the left—vitamin C, aspirin, and vinegar—contain acids. The items on the right— milk of magnesia, baking soda, and drain cleaner—contain bases.

Sodium hydroxide (NaOFI), also called lye, soda lye, or caustic soda to distinguish it from potassium hydroxide (potash lye), is another important base. Flistorically, lye was obtained from the ashes of wood and used to make soap. Lye, however, is an extremely caustic chemical. It can cause serious chemical burns if it comes into contact with the skin and permanent blindness if it gets into the eyes. People had to be very careful while making the soap. They also had to make sure they got the mixture of lye and animal fat (lard) correct to keep from hurting themselves and their families. Because of its caustic (corrosive) nature, sodium hydroxide is also used as the active ingredient in oven and drain cleaners. 

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. 

While some drain cleaners contain concentrated sulfuric acid, many more contain sodium hydroxide. Mixing these two chemicals will not release chlorine gas, but the reaction between them does release a great amount of heat. Someone who makes the mistake of trying to undog their sink with one product and then switches to a different drain cleaner when the first does not clear the drain fast enough could create enough steam to blast the whole corrosive mess out of the sink right into their face. 

Exposures have occurred through the mixing of acid and basic drain cleaners, and through the use of acid drain cleaner to remove sludge-clogged drains, but these incidents have been rare (Oderda 1975). 

OderdaGM. 1975. Fatality produced by accidental inhalation of drain cleaner fumes. Clin Toxicol... 

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. 

A student mixed aluminium foil and drain cleaner in a soft drink bottle, which started emitting gas. Another student carried the bottle outside and was claimed to have been overcome by the toxic fumes [1]. Most drain cleaners are alkalis, so that aluminium will dissolve to produce hydrogen. The bleach that it is is suggested may have been present will produce no toxic fumes in alkali, and one would be surprised to find arsenic or antimony compounds present. If the collapse was not... 

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,... 

Reference Data Sheet for Chemical and Enzymatic Drain Cleaners. William D. Sheridan, http //www.meridianeng.com/draincle.html... 

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. 

Pour approximately 1 cm3 of dry drain cleaner onto a watchglass. CAUTION Drain cleaner is... 

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. 

Therefore in the 25-0 cm sample of the diluted drain cleaner there were 2 x 0-003916 of NaOH. 

Potassium hydroxide (KOH) is commonly referred to as caustic potash or lye because of its extreme alkahnity (high pH value). It is produced in an electrolytic cell reaction (2KC1 + THfD —> Hj + CIj + 2KOH). It is used to manufacture soaps and as a caustic drain cleaner because it is strong enough to dissolve animal fats that clog household and restaurant drains. 

Strong acids include battery acid, murintic acid, and hydrochloric acid. Weak acids include acetic acid, toilet bowl cleaner, and lactic acid. Banned pesticides include Silvex, Mirex, Aldrin, Chlordane, DDT, and Heptachlor. Caustics include oven cleaner and drain cleaner. Flammables include alcohol, acetone, turpentine, lacquer, and paint thinner. Pesticides include rodent poisons, insecticides, weed killer, and other herbicides and fungicides. Pesticide containers should be triple-rinsed, and the contents sprayed on crops or yard, before discarding. 

Strong acids, bases, or oxidizers can cause permanent eye damage, skin bums, and, if swallowed, gastrointestinal damage. Examples of corrosive products include alkaline drain cleaners and oven cleaners, acid-based toilet bowl cleaners and rust removers, concentrated disinfectants, and some concentrated pesticides, especially fungicides. 

Sodium hydroxide is the most widely used strong base in the chemical industry. It exists as a white, odorless, crystalline solid at room temperature. Sodium hydroxide is a highly corrosive and toxic substance and is called caustic soda or lye. Sodium hydroxide is used as an alkali in the production of numerous products including detergents, paper, synthetic fabrics, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. It is the ingredient in many common cleaners, degreasers, drain cleaners, and personal care products. 

But why do manufacturers add bits of aluminum to drain cleaners When immersed in water, the aluminum reacts with sodium hydroxide to generate hydrogen gas, just as it does in my rocket. This generates more heat and supposedly helps to dislodge deposits through effervescence. Supposedly is a key word here. These chemical drain cleaners don t work all that well for the simple reason that they don t usually reach the site... 

Given that most of us are not equipped with such sophisticated weaponry and that chemical drain cleaners are not ideal, what do we do First and foremost, practice preventive maintenance. Make sure that fat does not go down the drain. Wipe greasy plates with soiled napkins newspaper is great for absorbing oil. If you have a garbarator, then use plenty of cold water to flush away the remains carrot peelings and corn husks, particularly, can cause obstructions. To keep drains flowing... 

Examples of bases, (a) Reactions involving sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO, make baked goods rise, (b) Ashes contain potassium carbonate, K2C03. (c) Soap is made by reacting bases with animal or vegetable oils. The soap itself, then, is slightly alkaline, (d) Powerful bases, such as sodium hydroxide, NaOH, are used in drain cleaners. 

Milk of magnesia, which can be taken as an antacid medicine, is a base. The chemical name for milk of magnesia is magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2). Magnesium hydroxide can ease the discomfort caused by too much stomach acid. Potassium hydroxide (KOH) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) are also bases. These chemicals, sometimes called lye, and are used in making soap. Sodium hydroxide is also an ingredient of oven and drain cleaners. Bases feel slippery and have a bitter taste. 

Alkali, Phosphorus compounds See Drain cleaner, cola, below... 

If the patient has ingested a corrosive poison, such as a strong acid or alkali (e.g., drain cleaners), emesis increases the likelihood of gastric perforation and further necrosis of the esophagus. 

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