Purifying Sulfuric Acid Drain Cleaner

WARNING: This process is EXTREMELY dangerous. Hot sulfuric acid can instantly burn and char your skin. Please don't try to repeat anything you see here!
UPDATE: I had to do this again for more sulfuric acid. For boiling chips, I smashed a porcelain dish and the little pieces worked really well to keep things under control. No crazy bumping!
Hello everyone! So, a lot of people have been asking for this and finally it is here! In this video, we clean sulfuric acid using both the H2O2 method and distillation. It is a pretty long one and it took me a long time to edit .
Piranha solution video: • Making Piranha Solution
I plan to do an Q and A video, so if you have any questions you'd like me to address in the video, leave them in the comments.
Song: Music for Manatees by Kevin Mcleod (incompetech.com)
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Nile talks about lab safety: • Chemistry is dangerous.

[@NileRed]

WARNING: This process is EXTREMELY dangerous. Hot sulfuric acid can instantly burn and char your skin. Please don't try to repeat anything you see here!

[@halffox3365]

Tried once at home but the concentration just 80 percent i think 😂

[@Nirim000]

just happy to see i can get away with just peroxide for my use.

[@neutronpcxt372]

@@Nirim000 Don't be so sure. You are creating piranha solution. While not as dangerous, I would not get even close to it. What does exactly happen if I just put in 30% hydrogen peroxide, and just heat up the solution to 50C? Does it decompose the piranha solution down to clean 93% sulfuric acid or not? Edit: I forgot hydrogen peroxide decomposes rapidly. So, it should work out well.

[@Nirim000]

@@neutronpcxt372 anyway, i would probably use electrolysis of magnesium sulphate to produce directly the copper sulphate, i need the setup for electroplating anyway, making the copper sulphate myself with my copper scrap is the most cost effective way.

[@neutronpcxt372]

@@Nirim000 Where did you find magnesium sulfate though? I'm currently using a copper chloride setup to electroplate copper onto stuff, but the concentration built up isn't very high, but it works very well, albeit a bit slowly due to the low concentration of copper ions in the solution. Edit: Never mind. I forgot magnesium sulfate equals epsom salts.

[@pclouds]

6:16 sacrificing one flask. He got the taste now. 4 years later, massacre of all beakers!

[@humanbeing2143]

This comment is gold

[@yingxiawei821]

Exactly! He threw beakers like basketballs! 🏀

[@ioni4823]

He tasted blood, and now he will always crave for more

[@XVIIstarPt_]

@@yingxiawei821 basketbeakers?

[@mayajoby2098]

The beakers were having diseases (breaking on their own) as NileRed couldn't do anything about it, he did mercy killing.

[@theCodyReeder]

bet the grey-white hoodie has some hole in it now. lol I've never been able to work with this stuff without at least one hole in what ever i was wearing.

[@v0idlike]

Two of my favorite youtubers in one channel? Now we just need AvE and BigClive to comment and my life will be complete.

[@ZivTheWyrd]

Cody'sLab i remember when I was in chemistry and we were usjng azeotropic sulphuric. We had a few drips and came back to a hole in the desk the next day. It was hilarious.

[@cezarcatalin1406]

James S The nerd side of youtube... I LOVE IT

[@cezarcatalin1406]

Cody'sLab Hey, Cody - I've found out that I can turn sulfuric acid back into it's unhydre form (sulfur trioxide) by using some interesting tin (stannum) compounds. First, I melt electronic solder metal with a high tin content in a round bottom flask, then I bubble dry chlorine through it and collect tin tetrachloride (liquid) at the other end of the condenser. Then I mix the SnCl4 and the 98% H2SO4 together, gently heat them with a heat gun and generate slightly wet HCl gas and dry tin(IV)sulfate (solid). The dry Sn(SO4)2 can decompose at just around 250*C into tin dioxide and SO3 vapors that can be collected through an ice condenser. The tin dioxide can be reacted with 98% sulfuric acid again to regenerate the tin(IV)sulfate. Or can be reduced back to tin metal with hydrogen by heating the powder in a glass/copper tube at 340*C while blowing hydrogen gas through it. It looks like hydrogen is more reactive than lead or tin at high temperatures. In either case, tin(IV) sulfate seems to be the only salt that can liberate SO3 by heating it at glassware compatible temperatures. Iron(II) sulfate generates a mixture of sulfur dioxide and trioxide, Iron(III) sulfate decomposes at a quite high temperature and tin(II) sulfate generates only sulfur dioxide upon thermal decomposition. Tin(II) sulfate however, seems to be a reliable source of SO2 gas, when needed, because it decomposes at a low temperature. SO3/SO2 are by themselves very useful substances. Some reactions that I have used in the past: SO3 + CCl4 => SO2Cl2 + COCl2 CCl4 is carbon tetrachloride, produced by chlorinating chloroform. SO2Cl2 is sulfuryl chloride, an source of free chlorine species - used to produce chlorinated organic compounds. COCl2 is phosgene - a dangerous gas with many uses: COCl2 + SO2 => SOCl2 + CO2 SOCl2 is thionyl chloride, a source of cloride ions in water-free solutions - used in the production of some organochlorine compounds. COCl2 + NH3(great excess) => CO(NH2)2 + ammonium chloride CO(NH2)2 is urea COCl2 is in itself an useful chlorinating agent. And all started with some tin salts. Tin is awesome !

[@cezarcatalin1406]

Cody'sLab Oh, I forgot ... I found out how to generate ammonia from nitrogen at home. The answer is an other magic metal : lithium. If lithium is exposed to nitrogen, it turns into lithium nitride (Li3N) and that can react with water to form lithium hydroxide and ammonia. My setup for an air-ammonia generator is an electrolytic cell composed from a glass jar with mercury on the bottom that has a smaller glass cup filled with mercury in the center. Both are covered with a concentrated lithium hydroxide solution in water. The mercury in the smaller jar is the cathode and the mercury around it is the anode. When a current is applied, free lithium will dissolve in the mercury cathode and mercury ions will also fill up the cathode jar until droplets of mercury will fall back down into the anode. Nitrogen is bubbled through the cathode and it reacts with the dissolved lithium. The lithium nitride that is formed floats to the top of the cathode where it reacts with the water to form ammonia. Once the concentration of ammonia in the solution is high enough, it will rise up and can be collected. If a large current is passed through the cell, the temperature will also rise and that in turn will liberate more ammonia from the solution. The lithium will constantly be mixed with the mercury in the cathode if nitrogen is constantly bubbled through the mercury. This ammonia generator can run forever, as long as you provide it with nitrogen, water and electricity. Lithium hydroxide can be made by dissolving in water the contents of a discharged lithium cell. The drowback is that a small generator doesn't have a large debit of ammonia at the output. So it needs to be collected over time. But, Cody ! YOU HAVE KILOGRAMS OF MERCURY ! You can probably generate half a gram of ammonia per second with a generator that is large enough.

[@UncensoredRhett]

Hey Geologist here. I know I'm late to the party but I wanted to point out that there are many, many different kinds of 'sand' that regular people use not knowing that there is SiO2 or 'silica' sand which is what NileRed is talking about then there is Carbonaceous sand which is CaCO3 (shell material from critters in oceans and stuff). If you plan to use 'sand' as a nucleation material for, whatever really, please be sure you are using the appropriate 'sand'. Try to find pure quartz sand that isn't super weathered or rounded. You want it to be course since it provides enough surface area for nucleation to occur as opposed to heavily rounded, smooth sand. And absolutely stay away from anything carbonaceous unless it is called for.

[@stigmastorm5204]

We need more nerd comments like these. Thank you for pointing out the distinction.

[@At0mix]

In case anyone is wondering, heat or acids turn carbonates into CO2 and water. Dumping a bunch of carbonaceous sand into hot concentrated acid would look like the mentos + coke reaction. But with hot acid. Not recommended.

[@OtiumAbscondita]

pfff geologist

[@user-mo1fn3gu5u]

So your a Geochemist right?

[@arthurmead5341]

@@user-mo1fn3gu5u even a regular geologist would know that

[@uxleumas]

"the sulfuric acid isn't really concentrated" me: oh! that's good since i need only about 10~20% percent "it's only 92%" oh

[@ihatenignugs69]

Different chemistries called for different purities.

[@uxleumas]

@@ihatenignugs69 yea i know, but...

[@ihatenignugs69]

@@uxleumas um... But what?

[@Mangaka-ml6xo]

@@uxleumas You're not the only one who was expecting something alot lower upon hearing it wasn't much concentrated, hearing that a 95% purity isn't concentrated enough is quite a weird thing and funny in a certain way x)

[@williamneuzil7403]

@@Mangaka-ml6xo Buzz Killington has arrived. That's all...

[@TheOfficialCzex]

Do you ever feel an emotional connection towards the glassware you own, use, clean, and break?

[@user-fh8xg8wp4q]

I’m not sure about him, but I do have favorite beakers because I’m a nerd haha

[@dj16891]

I have a 1L sep funnel that is treated like a third child.

[@bryanpeeters2552]

Got something similar with the forks, spoons and knives. Always had that one favourite

[@wat8437]

@Jon Iwanyszyn the mobbing? I don't understand

[@Dann0343]

i feel the way about the tools in my garage

[@ThePaintballgun]

A chemist shows you his human side when breaking a trusty piece of glassware... RIP

[@Crysis762]

SAY NO TO GLASSWARE ABUSE

[@retardedengineer3453]

F

[@Борисстепанов-р1д]

F

[@tf3confirmedbuthv54]

F

[@Violins_]

L

[@rogerandlyndabeall3840]

Interesting. I worked in an acid (H2SO4) factory ICI in the 70's I am a chemical engineer. I used to get holes in my jeans and my orange car went yellow from the SO2. I used to titrate to measure strength, but I found dipping a match head in the acid, and timing how long it took to light, was very accurate too. We made about 600 tonnes per day.

[@HMan2828]

@*S U C T I O N* They had "match" match heads.

[@mikesartin]

I used to do a H2SO4 dip in a thin layer chromatography process we used to work with. The great thing about holes in you jeans was that they didn't show up until after they'd been laundered. Each and every hole was a surprise!

[@greatmeatball2978]

You're probably more than 70 years old then! Wow.

[@alassanediallo5234]

Hello. Can i have your mail. Please.

[@yolobathsalts]

@@alassanediallo5234 what the fuck

[@Haylex13_101]

"Once his body was crushed into moderately sized pieces." For science!

[@CocoaThunda]

Dip hand in Carborane.

[@grubbiechirp5695]

Jeffery Dahmer?

[@davidrossington9756]

You monster

[@Desi-qw9fc]

Was once told a lab safety story about the importance of labelling your beakers (and reading the labels before doing anything). A researcher needed a hot plate and saw a beaker on it, filled with what looked like water. They hovered their hand briefly over the beaker to see if it was being heated, and their hand was instantly burned with acid vapour.

[@nervonabliss]

Also y we wear gloves

[@shanek6582]

I don't know why I love this channel, I never even took chemistry in school and will never do anything shown.

[@padathir]

Same, but it's interesting to see a bit of how it works!

[@TerribleShmeltingAccident]

Oh yeah yeah ignorance

[@typrus6377]

"Boiling sulfuric acid inside is kind of stupid" Let's boil some mercury! 😂

[@211212112]

Yeah. We always did everything inside. But we had enclosures made for it

[@supercool1312]

Oh yeah yeah calm down dipshit

[@jordanrodrigues8265]

The mercury distillation was outside.

[@typrus6377]

@@jordanrodrigues8265 Understood, still funny. He seems to do a good job with his safety considerations

[@user-pr6ed3ri2k]

hey that part just appeared

[@feta_cheesecake]

*“Once his body was crushed into moderately sized pieces, I was ready to move on to the next step”* NileRed, 2016

[@OblivionWalkerVerified]

@Danijelovski Kanal yes yes yes

[@garrettshadbolt6443]

Covering it in sulphuric acid 😂

[@timperry6948]

"Boiling sulfuric acid indoors is kinda stupid." Lol!

[@garethbaus5471]

Never before has something been more true.

[@la24dogg21]

I litterily started cracking up so bad there !

[@tejasmalhotra3636]

I is so not volatile 😂

[@user-pr6ed3ri2k]

370thliker

[@Sam-ob4of]

​@@la24dogg21*liTeraLLy

[@CheeKiatTeo]

I just want to clean my drain, man.

[@Mr_Makina]

I need it for my synthesis, in the UK you need a licence for sulphuric acid and I'm not willing to jump hoops because thugs got it regulated

[@zo4199]

@@Mr_Makina >in the UK >need a licence It checks out.

[@chavezhurtado6483]

Zoor Sot Miin Kendov oi where’s yer drain cleaner loicense

[@YuraEnjoji]

@@Mr_Makina roadman ting innit

[@Xighor]

@@Mr_Makina we could try deporting instead of banning drain cleaners?

[@matthewking1532]

Hey, I noticed there are chemicals you are going to use almost every time you do an experiment/extraction/demonstration. Almost everything uses at least one of the following: Sodium Hydroxide, Hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, DCM, etc. You should do a series on how to get a good source of all of these chemicals from OTC products. You have covered some, but others would be useful.

[@NileRed]

I think I have actually covered most of them, unless im forgetting some! Do you know of any that I missed?

[@mattk6315]

The Sodium Hydroxide is the only one that immediately comes to mind.

[@Ilovelazers]

NileRed Another video idea could be where to buy them directly and how to set up an amateur lab

[@timothyraquet]

Kid Kirby the hardware store near me has drain cleaner that is about 100% sodium hydroxide. Just check you local stores and search for the msds online.

[@benjaminlarson6168]

I have access to all except Nitric and methylene chloride. Please show where you get those

[@BAgodmode]

This was a fantastic guide! This purified my drain cleaner enough that I could drink it, without adding any weird flavors.

[@jamiecurran3544]

😱😁😂😂✌️

[@meitokenchop6037]

"was". are you the ghost remnants of this account?

[@Bassmasterwitacaster]

I had no idea it was safe to drink like that. Awesome! This changes everything, used to be way more afraid handling this stuff, no more!

[@LordSalazarsRevenge]

Famous last words

[@madimontgomery6811]

When my nephew won’t leave me alone and INSISTS on watching what I’m watching I turn on these videos. I love Nile red but it’s just to complicated for him to understand so he leaves me alone after ab 5 minutes. That you for your content😂💕

[@periodictable118]

I feel like a good number of these videos will make him want to stay even more

[@Mattes_______]

R.I.P. roundbottom flask :( we will miss you Very cool video again exept that you should have censored the dead flask :D

[@NileRed]

+Keta haha the poor guy.

[@Brokkoli7hun]

+Keta Almost made me cry :'(

[@Ottmar555]

+Nile Red You could have at least saved the ground glass joint, as it can be reused or sold.

[@Spycyzygy]

+Keta "Rest In Pieces"

[@duroncrush]

+Nile Red I'm trying to get an old oxygen concentrator to use for experiments and general acts of stupidity. So would bubbling dry oxygen through the sulfuric acid remove the dye/inhibitors? I was also wondering if a reflux column could be used with a thermometer and watching the viscosity of the fluid running baxk down the refulx tube?

[@rolandleka5342]

Our old chemistry professor always told us to fill the distillations flasks up to a third of their volumes to avoid bumping. It is inefficient but safe. Great video

[@elidenning6276]

“Once his body was broken into moderately sized pieces, I was ready for the next step.”

[@M5r.S5g]

"I was nice and killed him quickly..." *15 bashes later*

[@flashfronkprepping1779]

I’m a plumber, use this and I’ll appreciate all of the service calls...

[@AB-80X]

Remember that what he is removing is partly inhibitors.

[@kylesteele9403]

I tried using my litmus paper on it -- but it just turned to nothing. How can I be sure it's concentrated? (Just kidding)

[@funkyskitchen]

@7:05 - "because boiling sulfuric acid inside is kinda stupid." lol I love your deadpan delivery of this statement!

[@lagrangiankid378]

It can very easily kill you. Because, you know, when you fill an enclosed space with a deadly vapor you make what is known as a gas chamber. And they are used to murder things. And you don't want your house to turn into a gas chamber.

[@johncourtneidge]

Very nice, thank-you and to your financial supporters. A point from a old chemist: when you put a stopper or bottle cap down, it's good practice to put it upside down on the bench, to avoid contamination. I very much hope that you continue this excellent service to us all!

[@mmmhorsesteaks]

We usually isolate flasks with a little rockwool or something when we do something at higher temperatures. That might allow you to use a bit less heat and reduce problems with bumping. The biggest advantage I see with the second method is that you get rid of metal salts that may be in the acid. The reason for the use of peroxide in the first method is to oxidise any carbon that may be formed, as well as aromatics (which may be sulfonated but are usually too stable to degrade with only sulfuric acid).

[@storyspren]

"The entire setup is then moved outside because boiling sulfuric acid indoors is kind of stupid." Good of you to say that. I was gonna do it on my bed next to my breakfast beans.

[@pudy2487]

what. breakfast beans? is this some european thing

[@rawhamburgerjoe]

Beans.

[@pudy2487]

@Silicon Nomad absolutely wild. beans, on their own, for breakfast. fantastic

[@lagrangiankid378]

You can do it next to your breakfast, that's not the problem. Unless you pour the acid on your "beans" it's not gonna contaminate the food or anything. The problem are the deadly white sulfuric acid vapors that will fill your room (and your lungs) if they don't have anywhere else to go.

[@brandonstevens2180]

Two men walk into a bar, the first says "I'll have an H²O" takes a drink and orders another, the second man says "that looks good, I'll have an H²O too" takes a drink and dies

[@ReapingMiner]

You were right. If your stirbar is PTFE coated, it will not survive >300C. PTFE degrades slowly above about 265C, and completely melts at 326. Since pure sulfuric acid boils at 330C. Good judgement.

[@miguelcasasarrojo8135]

These videos are just so relaxing, they make me forget all my problems :3

[@bbeck104]

"because boiling sulfuric acid indoors is kind of stupid!", still my favorite warning from all of your videos on the dangers of distilling or even using certain chemicals period!

[@Pinchington]

"Where I will poor acids on my hand to see the effects" God bless you... My dad always said if you bleed, it means you had a good day

[@mjfreak6539]

hey there, can you make a "methyl hexanoate" (strawberry flavoring) video, please. Thanks in advance ;)

[@kayrakaya4719]

Is it toxic, corrosive or carcinogenic?

[@brandonb9452]

Kayra Kaya haha

[@acer8123]

Thank you for your service Round Bottom Flask. You will be remembered.

[@deepstrasz]

"Sulfuric acid must be treated with the utmost respect".

[@bbrockert]

Regarding "I haven't really come up with a foolproof way to determine that it's 98% sulfuric acid." The boiling point vs. concentration curve for sulfuric acid solutions is fairly steep. Given that you're already boiling it in the first process, you should be able to get a good idea of concentration if you had a thermometer that could measure up to ~350C. Then you only have to measure one variable, rather than needing to accurately measure both density and temperature. Alternatively, even if your thermometer isn't very accurate, it should be clear that it's 98% when the temperature stops rising. May be able to read that with an IR thermometer.

[@erikwislinsky5961]

I had to scroll down way too far before seeing anyone questioning anything about this video. YES. The correlation he is using is absolutely not going to help. I don’t know why he thinks it will be out of the range of his scale… either he doesn’t understand density, concentration, or cannot read decimals. Either way, his videos are filled with very very concerning errors like this that prove he has absolutely no idea what he’s doing. He’s following someone else’s instructions and doing the remaining bits with no research or knowledge whatsoever. TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION: you just titrate it. Google titration, it’s a well known and understood concept of acid base chemistry and the fact that it wasn’t used here has made me angrier than anything else on the internet in absolutely years. More than the middle East or politics. We can’t have misinformation in chemistry, not with this many views, it’s not good for people’s safety or minds. Long answer. Sorry. Hope You figured out the titration thing when you needed it.

[@francispoirier1207]

@@erikwislinsky5961 a amateur chemist video on acids volontarly watch ,made you angrier than war ,terror, mass murders, women's crazy abuses, ....... well that's something fucktop ive seen on KZbin in a long time .......jesus christ do you even re read what you write before posting it .....

[@lagrangiankid378]

​@@erikwislinsky5961Titrating with a burette is obviously superior, but density measurements work decently too, you just need a better scale and/or a larger graduated cylinder. I distilled azeotropic sulfuric acid and measured a 2% error with acid/base titration, while a 5% error with density (using a mg scale, a 250±2 ml graduated cylinder and a IR thermometer). Alternatively refraction index measures and spectroscopy are also suitable in measuring sulfuric acid concentration.

[@Mdsde]

I love your videos. Not ever going to study chemistry, but I enjoy it thoroughly.

[@LFTRnow]

I would not recommend beach sand or non-purified sand. It will very likely contain metals - usually lots of iron filings - which will react with the acid and make a brown mess of your effort (and weaken it).

[@B-System]

most mineral sulfates aren't volatile, though, so it's not an issue in this particular prep.

[@WineScrounger]

This is why it’s acid washed beforehand. Get all that crap out and you’re left with clean sand.

[@AB-80X]

Like he said, it was washed. For what he is doing, acid washed sand is plenty sufficient.

[@SuperAngelofglory]

for accuracy's sake, the azeotrope is actually 98.3%

[@Sharpless2]

so would 98.2999999% sulfuric acid work?

[@nmcgunagle]

Since 98.3 is rounded to the nearest tenth, I would say it’s close enough

[@Flightstar]

Thanks Spock.

[@keymaster2108]

This video is far from accurate. How inaccurate it is to not inform people of the hydrogen sulfide danger if someone was to copy and not know about "hydrogen sulfide" a person can die in a single breath. In my opinion this video is extremely! inaccurate!

[@m210658]

@@keymaster2108 Can you detail the reaction that splits sulphuric acid into hydrogen sulfide? I'm very curious!

[@skysatshop1975]

You answer every single question that ever comes to mind which is great.

[@Kargoneth]

I miss the old NileRed videos. I would like new ones of this sort.

[@ingenuity23-yg4ev]

yeah i agree, he caters to the more normie audience now with little to no chem knowledge, and skips on explaining details like this

[@Kargoneth]

@@ingenuity23-yg4ev Indeed. One video every 3 months between his NileRed and NileBlue channels. I would expect him to be able to compile a 20-minute video during that time. Perhaps he is more active elsewhere these days.

[@benearhart1224]

I find you have to treat with H2O2 and then distill. I usually do two treatments with H202 followed by distillation. Each treatment is about 10ml of 30% in about 200ml of concentrated acid. The first treatment is allowed to react for a while and then heated until it stops bubbling. Some cleaners will go very dark during this step. In these cases, I definitely recommend a second H2O2 treatment. When I do a second treatment, the reaction is allowed to proceed for days or until the bread-like smell gives way to pungent vapors that smells like HCL. The final distilled product may eventually develop a pungent smell. If this happens, just add about 1ml 30% H2O2 to it and let it react until the smell is entirely gone, then heat until the reaction is terminated. NOTE: Keep in mind that, after H2O2 treatment, the sulfuric acid contains a lot of dissolved gas. Unless you heat it long enough to degas it when you terminate the reaction, then be careful when heating it for distillation. If you heat it too quickly, it might begin to develop gas too fast and pump itself up into the condenser. You don't want that, trust me.

[@skyhui3412]

Close your eyes and listen to this part: 6:18 -6:33

[@pyrochemist2717]

hahaha

[@knglaser]

adding too much sand will cause a layer on the bottom that prevents mixing and promotes overheating on the lowest part of the flask. also sanding the glassware before breaking it for boiling chips increases the ability to boil smoothly. keep up the good work, really impressed with the amount of work you put in to this channel.

[@NileRed]

+knglaser that is very true. also, I didnt even think about sanding the glass beforehand.

[@markrichardson239]

Question occurs: Can't you just take it to say 220 F. to boil off the water? Slow.. Then in subsequent condensing, elevate heats? Thanks for the video!

[@Nodsbane]

Your videos help me to relax. I have no idea what you're talking about half the time but your voice is awesome.

[@zeo_crash7984]

I believe it's possible to measure the concentration of sulphuric acid by measuring the Refractive index. I'm not sure how easy it would be to find a refractometer that's up to the task though

[@196Stefan2]

I use glass pearls from a hobby shop as boiling stones: These pearls do have a diameter of about 0,8 mm and a rough surface (which is important for the formation of steam bubbles). They are intended to be used for the D.I.Y.-production of costume jewellery. In order to line them up on a nylon thread, they are drilled through.

[@kevinbyrne4538]

9:06 -- You haven't found a way to determine the concentration of sulfuric acid? How about titration?

[@CallMeMimi27]

How about tasting it?

[@hawkeye454]

As a chemical titration technician, the broken glassware got me. I've been using some of my erlenmeyer flasks over a decade, over time I've broken many of them, now down to my last one. (I have new ones but my specific old Kimble glassware was discontinued and I've been hanging onto that last flask, will be sad if I break it.)

[@Tower0fHeaven]

Hey Nile, Im a bit late to the party but an easy way to tell if you have reached the azeotrope is to watch the temperature. Azeotropes boil at a constant temperature(Probably around 340C but Im guessing). So once you start the distillation the temperature will rise. Once it has leveled off and is no longer boiling then you know you have reached azeotropic sulfuric acid.I think this is an easier way.

[@Moritz___]

hey im a bit later to the party xD but didnt he say he didnt have the equipment to measure this high temps?

[@markvietti]

this guy is pure knowledge..

[@Enjoymentboy]

Something to consider as well: Not all sulfuric acid based drain cleaners have the same additives in them and they do behave differently. I've tried both methods with a few different brands and while distillation works for all of them a few brands do NOT work well with H2O2. In fact there are 3 I have encountered which outright refuse to clear up with H2O2. They just turn into a black, tar filled mess that can only be cleaned up through distillation. Based on this I too only use distillation and I just HATE doing it. But this is the only source I have available. On a side note I have a friend that works for a large hardware type store. It's kind of a depot of sorts if you know what I mean. She used to get me my drain opener by the case but they no longer carry it and she told me that I should expect to see this happen at most other retailers in Canada. So basically stock up while you can. This stuff appears to be going the route of HNO3 too.

[@Flightstar]

Id like to see a video on the chemistry how these organic "inhibitors" work to prevent the H2SO4 from reacting with metals.

[@Pyroneuss]

You actually don't need so much sand for distillation, as it can cause the opposite effect due to blocking of convection and overheating at the bottom of the flask. Take care and keep on making videos.

[@djooooodi8248]

i love how he personifies the glassware,,,, gave me the feels

[@DevinHeaps]

Brilliant videos. Thank you for sharing them. If you ever get time, I would love to see you make the amino acid L-serine. I've seen it show up in quite a few literature reviews lately, but have never seen it synthesized or differentiated from D-serine.

[@mwilson14]

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your video uploads. I'm working on getting everything I need to make my own sulfuric acid and seeing and learning all the different methods is invaluable. I have sulfur and I can't wait to do some science experiments with my children.

[@chrisbusenkell]

Thanks for the videos. Very well done. I thought I'd spilled concentrated H2SO4 on my hand and took care of it promptly. Luckily, since our bodies lean in the acid friendly direction, humans have a few seconds with most acids before things get ugly. There are of course exceptions to this "don't panic" philosophy. I'm not talking about eyeballs though. This is not so with hydroxides, which react instantaneously with tissue, any human tissue is destroyed by concentrated hydroxides immediately. Unfortunately, a good friend of mine from my college days, he worked as a cook at a bar and grill joint close to campus. he was cleaning the grill with a concentrated hydroxide grill cleaner and it splashed in his eye. They immediately flushed it with soda water, lemon juice, water and tried like hell to neutralize the acid and flush the eye. His doctor at the ER said basically the eye's fate was sealed on contact with the hydroxide. The cornea was destroyed. He lost the eye.

[@JoshuaNicoll]

Glass coated magnetic stir bars and a strong stirrer under the heating mantel can make the bumping a bit more manageable, it's pretty much the only reason I bought a few.

[@TheJah1985]

Hey, is it possible or at least advisable to distill sulfuric acid under vacuum to lower the boiling point? Or is the danger of imploding glassware overwhelming the benefits?

[@TheEatmorDininghall]

I mixed Clean Shot Sulfuric Acid drain opener, which also is 93% sulfuric acid, with sugar and the resulting carbon snake was really impressive. 93% concentration is quite high for a product that you could just buy of the shelves at Lowe's.

[@erikisberg3886]

Interesting work! I have seen sulfuric acid mentioned in older books for sealing ground glass joints, never tried it myself. Perhaps it was used more before modern high temperature greases. Dont know if it is a real risk, but I would probably put a safety flask between the trap and the receiver flask in case suckback should occur...

[@dumbassesanonymous]

Nile often uses sulfuric acid for that purpose

[@lagrangiankid378]

The suckback trap is not needed in this case as the inverted funnel stops any suckback.

[@jakelnordstrom]

Wal-Mart actually carries a strong sulfuric acid cleaner in just about every store. I can't remember the exact name, but it's a black bottle near the Liquid Plumber.

[@johngriffin618]

"Boiling Sulfuric Acid Indoors is kind of stupid' lol i did that a long time ago and it ended badly.

[@fesa_performance9617]

What happend?

[@thecrawfish894]

Fr , tho what happend

[@succumbtothebutter1972]

Sir Schamilott xx he died

[@michac.8283]

What happened

[@75hilmar]

Hey Nile, I found out that diatomaceous earth (plankton SiO2) works really good to get carbon acid out of water. Maybe you could try this with sulfuric acid too because it is basically amorphous SiO2 with a very high surface. I guess it just pulls the CO2 out of solution because it is so similar and it gases off pretty fast. Yet to see If it can act as boiling sand though.

[@0x73V14]

DE has tons of micro sharp edges i bet it would be amazing boiling sand

[@V1VISECT6]

I clicked on this by accident and saw it in my history, i'm probably on another watch list now.

[@P00katube]

Here is a reminder from The American Medical Association...... DON'T POUR SULFURIC ACID ON YOUR GENITALS!!!!!!!

[@Phoenixx-vy7ln]

theres goes my plans for tomorrow

[@patman0250]

well good thing I did it already !

[@chrisbloodworth72]

Joseph Dugan Now you tell me!

[@WarBerJr02]

Thank you George Carlin

[@hansorsic7387]

but how else do i remove my grey pubes?

[@SonOfFurzehatt]

I do not recommend park or beach sand for boiling granules. They tend to contain shell fragments made of calcium carbonate, which would react with the acid.

[@taylorbarnes8373]

SonOfFurzehatt ahem..."acid-washed" sand. Good info tho!

[@fpm1979]

Amazon Germany sells sulfuric acid with at least 98%. I wonder why. This is too potent for a household chemical.

[@libbytears-make-me-happy]

Narc! Wtf?!?

[@OrangeC7]

I personify all my round bottom flasks too. It makes every chemichal adventure a huge so story.

[@chloehennessey6813]

Just happened across your channel. AvE, Cody. And now you. Thank you!

[@ocloud7389]

Go to the channel explosions and fire

[@tcmyoda]

If you put the collection flask in a pan of boiling water, with the drip tube going to the bottom of the flask and an exhaust tube for water vapor, you can keep the concentration very high.

[@uwezimmermann5427]

my highschool chemistry teacher once blew out the bottom of a conc sulfuric acid bottle when trying to make more space on the shelves by filling over the rest from one bottle into another one - obviously one of the two rests of conc sulfuric acid wasn't as concentrated anymore... There was more space afterwards with two less bottles...

[@KnakuanaRka]

Was anyone hurt?

[@kieranodea771]

I've found that while distilling it will bump A LOT LESS when you don't add peroxide. Just like in Doug's lab's video, I've found a few broke pieces of a flower pot work very very we'll as boiling chips

[@acroduster]

dont crush the joints from you glass, ill sponsor you and repair your glass! ive loved your channel, and i just found a way i can help. ive been blowing borosilicate for a long time. i can save you money and get you into some custom apparatus for your work.

[@tjhendrix5248]

acroduster i would be interested in some glassware do you have some pieces I can see

[@taylorbarnes8373]

acroduster hey, would totally paypal you and send you my joints if you can fix them.

[@hansorsic7387]

i might have some stuff you can make. i havent made any videos due to lack of equipment. my projects are less science and more result orientated

[@MarcAntoine01]

Replying a year and a half later and expecting being answered :D

[@lazaglider]

Marc-Antoine Replying to a reply made 4 months ago because attention seeking...

[@p3ter9000]

@NileRed I believe the concentrated acid was oxidizing the cellulose in your filter paper, turning the solution yellow due to the dissolved carbon particles

[@johnhu3512]

Nile i have been wondering why no one mentions vacuum distillation on distilling sulfuric acid.

[@spookywizard4980]

cuz you'll kill your vacuum XD

[@WineScrounger]

It’s pretty hard on vacuum pumps

[@aterack833]

I just remembered the times I boiled off the water in both draino (max gel) and pinesol, maybe not the brightest plan to do in a kitchen, but I’m the lovely combination of broke/poor and anti-waste

[@Aaron00000000000]

Thank you for the video, I just wanted to let you know you can purchase battery acid in bulk for about the same price as that litre of drain cleaner.. it is less concentrated, but overall provides more end product than drain cleaner at a lower price point. at my local auto parts store I purchased 5 gallons for about 20 USD... I find it's about 20-25% concentration and for the money you end up with more product. keep doing the amazing videos ! PS: love you did a shout out to nerd rage. thanks again

[@jjenson2006]

+Aaron Pawlicki Battery acid is about 37% concentration. Keep in mind that the other 63% is water. This means that after all the work of boiling it down, you are left with around 1.75 gallons of concentrated acid.

[@Aaron00000000000]

Appreciate your input ! What battery acid are you buying ?! After distillation I end up with the usually a 20% yield. Sometimes higher. I do admit I may be losing acid during distillation. Personally I hate distilling sulfuric acid. Far easier to buy But that being said I always start with 1000 ml of battery acid. For the first couple hours I leave temp around 150C Then up the temp to 350C to distill the acid which leaves me with about 200ml 98%. The acid at my local shop is perhaps Less concentrated.

[@jjenson2006]

Aaron Pawlicki Battery acid must be around 37% or it will not meet a lead acid battery's needs. Why distill battery acid? Just boil it on a hot plate. When the temperature reaches 320C, you will have approx 98% acid. Distilling it only makes sense if it is dirty acid and battery acid is as pure as you can get; it must be to meet battery standards.

[@joshuagavaghan224]

i spilled a drop of nitric acid on a pair of my jeans i was wearing in AP Chem in the lab. It bleached it white/dissolved the top layer, and the fabric is thin there in a small line but it hasnt ripped even 5 years later! I still love that pair of jeans for their scar from bearing nitric acid in the lab that day. pretty cool.

[@thaguy69]

Could caro's acid be used to rust metal really fast or would be strong enough to eat certain types of metal?

[@AB-80X]

It will damage a lot of metals. If you want to create Iron Oxide, just use HCl.

[@Nefville]

I love the internet. Last week I was cleaning some drains out and ended up with a bunch of this stuff. I thought you know what would be great, a way to purify it and get rid of the crap for some experiments on rust removal and other things. Cool.

[@londonnotlandon3787]

RIP Roundbottom Flask

[@Alondro77]

'Beach sand' has very varied composition depending upon where it came from. Some has lava sand, some has shell and coral sand, some has iron and other metals. Definitely want to find the cleanest sand possible I'm lucky in the sand department. NJ Pine Barrens. We have natural deposits of almost pure quartz sand. Some layers are almost absolutely white without even washing.

[@HiwasseeRiver]

Can I vote/ask you not to put acid on your skin? Been there done that with H2SO4 - it sucked, the scars are forever.

[@InDmand]

+Jk Smith i thumbed this, but looks like he already did it since its in the list of videos edited. :/ The scars will probably heal tho, i don't think he would of done it too aggressively.

[@mmmhorsesteaks]

+InDmand i've had some on the back of my hand, if it's just a few drops and you can get it off reasonably quickly it's not too bad. nitric is worse imho.

[@spookywizard4980]

how did that happen? was it hot?

[@mmmhorsesteaks]

We had this piece of glassware called a schlenk line. It's basically a kind of vacuum manifold with a gas inlet and a bubbler for overpressure protection. If you want to have some overpressure (to keep out air better), you need a rather dense liquid so your gas has to 'push down' more before it can escape... also keeps out moisture better then oil. I was refilling it (my colleague messed up: if you apply gas and vacuum at the same time the acid flushes through) with a funnel while holding up the tube with my other hand (and of course no gloves :D) and a little bit spilled on the hand that was holding the tube. I couldn't let go because then the whole tube would drop to the bench so I felt this little splash of acid slowly work its way down the back of my hand ^^ It just dessicates, really. I washed it off fairly quickly, it just stayed kind of whitish for a few weeks. Nitric acid is much nastier, that really turns your skin into a leathery patch that takes a long time to wear away.

[@spookywizard4980]

Yikes that sounds pretty freaky...getting it on your hand but not being able to move, horrible. I was asking the original guy though cuz he said he has scars =P

[@wabbajackwabbajack6932]

this "unsub" glitch is happening again, I've been subbed to the channel for years and noticed i wasnt subbed anymore when I watched the video. Glad to see how much the channel has blown up you deserve it bro.

[@mmtpb2003]

"I was nice and I killed him quickly so he wouldn't suffer too much"

[@speedbuggy16v]

I have no idea why I watch these things, but it is interesting!

[@kevinbyrne4538]

9:07 -- "I haven't really come up with a foolproof way to determine that it's 98% sulfuric acid." That's why God invented titration. (Get thyself a burette.)

[@roton1011]

works especially well when you are mid-destillation! Just stop the destillation every 10 sec and titrate the distilate!

[@ttttt_]

@@roton1011 lol

[@aterack833]

*Pauses video to write a comment* *finishes and unpauses* NileRed:”ok so that’s it for now and I’ll see you on the next one”

[@codieq621]

could you do a video on how to concentrate OTC 3% peroxide?

[@theKashConnoisseur]

+Codie Queen Sounds like grounds for causing an explosion lol.

[@Camroc37]

+Codie Queen Just boiling it for a while at 212 degrees will get it up there. Just if you need some higher conc., not a specific percent.

[@robertcece6972]

+Codie Queen Just boil it. I use to boil 8 liters down to 1 liter at a time. If you add manganese dioxide it will react VERY violently telling you it's pure. You can also buy 6-9% pure peroxide at beauty shops on the shelf for hair bleaching. And specialty stores carry 30% pure as a moldicide (it's very easy to get if you search). Anyone can buy it but it's expensive (like $50) and you need to buy a minimum of 1 gallons worth. For sulfuric acid I'd buy the 9%, boil it down to 1/4 and use just a little bit. You gotta keep in mind that all peroxide has phosphoric acid, the higher concentrations have more phosphoric acid. So you're contaminating the sulfuric acid with phosphoric acid. All you need is a little bit peroxide, just boil the acid it'll be pretty damn strong & pure.

[@tommasopetrella4856]

+Robert Cece You can get thirty percent at hydroponic stores for cheap. Food grade is very expensive so stick with non food grade, its all just as pure..

[@robertcece6972]

Tommaso Petrella I never knew that thanks for the tip!

[@r0cketplumber]

When distilling greasy isopropyl alcohol to reuse it for cleaning plumbing parts for oxygen service on rocket test stands, I found that immersing the flask of dirty IPA in a heated water ultrasound bath suppressed bumping completely. Obviously, water is not usable as a heat transfer fluid for acid distillation, but if you can couple an ultrasound horn to your distilling flask you may be able to use no glass or sand in your flask at all.

[@sohamgumaste]

Future Video Idea - Extracting useful compounds [like urea] from urine! Especially because you have a thing for smelly/disgusting chemistry :P [skatole, butyric acid etc]

[@NileRed]

+Soham Gumaste I am not sure i want to work with pee :p

[@sohamgumaste]

+Nile Red Haha... I havent found a video/article on this, so it would be interesting topic. So you would rather work with dichloro acetone and not urine? :P

[@NileRed]

Soham Gumaste hmm good point. I guess it's just the "gross" factor.

[@bernardo00124719]

codyslab loves to work with pee. hahahaha, search his videos.

[@sohamgumaste]

Bernardo B i watch his videos!

[@wolvenmoonstone8138]

and the Darwin award goes to: the person who boiled sulfuric acid indoors

[@Harshal378]

I got NaOH drain cleaners here in my local store. I couldn't find H2SO4 one.

[@neutronpcxt372]

Here's one: www.lowes.com/pd/CLEAN-SHOT-32-oz-Sulfuric-Acid-Drain-Opener/3371170

[@donaldl.blandjr.6442]

I am very pleased to view each of your very well done videos, Great science and I wish you good fortune going forward.

[@t.veritas884]

Are you really going to pour acids onto your hands ?

[@NileRed]

+Julian Veritas Already did :p.

[@chancesale8828]

+Nile Red So how did it feel? (Also when can we expect that video? It seems very interesting. :)

[@NileRed]

Chance Sale Itll be soon. It felt okay :p

[@Metalhammer1993]

you only took mild concentrations i hope? (i mean they are still unpleasant. i´m studying chemistry. and while the stings are bearable i would put acid on my hand voluntarily^^)

[@Rhodanide]

+Metalhammer1993 Try Urushiol. If you're like me, then nothing will happen, or it may do something worse :c

[@NOBOX7]

the hard bumping is actually cavitation and it will break beakers in some cases , it cracked one of mine