[scrum]

Hey

I have a general question about acids.

In chemistry lab we've worked with acids like HCL at concentration of I think .001 molar for titrations and such. During the lab i spilled some of it on my paper and i didn't see any reaction or dissolving.

This got me thinking, is there acid out there that would have immediately dissolved my paper, like acid tends to do in movies. My friend who is pre-med and does a lot more chemistry than me told me he has worked with 1 molar HCL and that it's stuff that you don't want to get on you as it will cause a severe rash, but he didn't get to pour it on stuff so he couldn't answer my question.

So my question is that are there acids that in a really high concentration could eat through objects quickly like movies tend to show, or is that a theatrical exaggeration?

[nj_bartel]

Movie speed is too quick, but not by too terribly much.  There are certainly concentrated acids that would eat through paper very quickly.  In the concentration you were working with though, I'd almost feel safe drinking it

[Borek]

he has worked with 1 molar HCL and that it's stuff that you don't want to get on you as it will cause a severe rash

Even 1M HCl is in reality not that dangerous. But concentrated hydrochloric acid is about 37% - that is 16 M, and that is completely different story. For fast, visual effects, concentrated sulfuric is probably better.

[renge ishyo]

What Bork said. I've personally dealt with 12M HCl and it was nasty stuff that you wouldn't want on you. Still if you really want to see something closer to the movies it might be something like an anhydrous acid, like ultrapure sulfuric acid. The stuff will quite literally rip the water out of sugar molecules and leave you with pure carbon.