Hello again, your friendly neighborhood mad scientist reporting

Could anyone solve this little problem for me, I need an inorganic acid that is reasonably obtainable, and has a low molecular weight, which must be below the weight of a sulfate group?

Halogen atoms need not apply  

HCl

HCl

Ummm.. Cl is a halogen there AWK.  

ssssss; HNO₃ is NOT an easy acid to get ahold of.  It's toxicity, reactivity, and propensity to form explosives makes it VERY highly regulated.  

It's not really the nitrate ion in HNO₃ that leads to its toxicity.  It's the fact that when nitric acid reacts, it tends to give off nitric oxide fumes which are pretty toxic and nasty things.  If you've ever noticed how bottles of nitric acid tend to turn yellow after a while, that's because of the acid decomposing into NO and NO₂ vapors.  (The NO oxidizes to NO₂ upon exposure to oxygen gas).  Those vapors are really nasty things and can start side reactions which you may not be expecting, nor wanting.  (That is also why nitric acid is supposed to be isolated from everything else.  It's an incredible oxidizer).  So just remember to do any HNO₃ experiments in a VERY well ventilated room.  

I was referring more to oral toxicity of organic nitrate salts, the gases/vapours of HNO3 aren't going to be a problem because I have at least a reasonably quality of gas mask, and am upgrading to full military grade full face mask soon

Still, what would be THE lightest possible acid to use for my experiment?
This one is giving me a pain-in-the-ass headache trying to work it out at 2.10 in the morning lol,

I was thinking, wouldn't the permanganate salt be lighter than sulfate?
although I am not too keen on either A: making too much permanganic anhydride at once, or B: the general oxidising nature of permanganic acid/permanganates,
Would permanganic acid (not anhydride) be sufficient to destroy alkaloids?
I don't want to mess up an expensive experiment

Actually, I think the gas that I worry about most that I have worked with is HF, I have no experience as yet with elemental F, but hydrogen fluoride for some reason scares the shite out of me, I just get VERY nervous on the rare occasion that I have to use it.

I don't think a military grade gas mask will protect you from nitric acid fumes. I asked that a while ago and got that idea shot down, cause I happen to have a military grade mask (cause i'm in the military) and it operates using activated charcoal. I don't that will stop fumes, and if it does I think it'll still eat through the rubber portions of the mask. Which is most of it.

What kind of filter is rated to acidic stuff? I want one. I thought you were going to use the same concentration of nitric acid that I was planning to use when I gave some thought to guncotton. Good thing I didn't do it though, because I'd probably be missing hands today.