mauricethegangsteroflove
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Registered: 2-2-2026
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Mood: The cat is in charge here.
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Nitric acid stains
Due to a minor structural failure of a piece of glassware sourced from eBay, I have inadvertently replicated Ira Remsen's discovery of how nitric acid
acts upon fingers and trousers (though not copper, yet).
One of my fingers is now rather yellow, though fortunately no harm was done beyond that as I quickly neutralized everything that spilled. I doubt
there is anything that can be done to remove the stain beyond waiting, but if anyone is aware of any methods, I would appreciate it.
If all else fails, perhaps I will add a googly eye and draw some overalls on it and pretend I intended it to be a Minion.
"I wonder what this stuff tastes like"
-- Last words of Johnny the chemist
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j_sum1
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Mood: Just got through yet another "take this job and shove it" moment.
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Aaah. Nitrated skin. Everyone does this at least once.
Unfortunately, not a reversible reaction.
Unless you have nitrated to a great depth, the effects wear off in a few days.
Or, you could investigate how pumice acts on nitrated skin.
FTR, silver nitrate stains can be "removed" using dilute nitric acid. Potassium permanganate can be treatedwith sodium thiosulfate.
And gloves are cheap.
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greenlight
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Done this many times haha.
The yellow-brown stain is from a reaction with the complex proteins in the skin.
It is essentially dead skin now and will peel off in a few days to a week.
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Fulmen
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Those stains are badges of honor, you wear them with pride.
We're not banging rocks together here. We know how to put a man back together.
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Lithine
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...just avoid smoking or any ignition source near your new nitro-fingers (I'm kiddin)
[Edited on 30-3-2026 by Lithine]
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Fery
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The upper part of skin are dead cells anyway (keratocytes) but is necessary as a protection. I hope HNO3 did not enter your skin deeper. If you did
NOT feel any pain, HNO3 acted only on this upper layer already dead and tile-like cells. Skin (epidermis) renews, lowest layer cells of epidermis
attached on basal membrane divide (multiplication) and then it lasts 30 days until they get to the uppermost layer already without cell nucleus,
without organelles, tile shaped, created mostly of only keratin and detach from body. You can estimate how much deep the HNO3 entered you skin, e.g.
if your skin will be in healthy conditions after 7 days, only upper 1/4 of epidermis was damaged, if after 14 days then 1/2 and so on. If anyone felt
pain then basal cells of epidermis were destroyed (the layer which renews epidermis) and deeper layers below epidermis too (dermis, or even
hypodermis) where are nociceptors (receptors for pain sensation), such wound heals in a form of scar (big area, deep damage) or also into normal state
without scar (no former damage visible - small area, not too much deep penetration of HNO3) - this seems not to be your case and I'm writing that for
future chemists and readers.
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