Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Arsenic in car batteries?

tahallium - 25-2-2020 at 05:01

Hey
I've got a dead car battery for my birthday.. thanks Dad! :D
But I'm really nervous cuz I don't want to deal with any arsenic
The battery is from a company called (exide) I searched online for MSDS and there's no arsenic but Wikipedia said arsenic and antimony are added to lead to increase it's hardness.
Please help I don't want to inhale arsine :(.

njl - 25-2-2020 at 05:32

You should be fine. Lead is only alloyed with other metals if certain properties are needed (like a harder material) but the lead (sulfate) in the battery probably isn't alloyed. That said, lead is still a neurotoxin so whatever you do pull out of the battery may be contaminated (definitely including the acid).

phlogiston - 25-2-2020 at 08:24

I once dissolved a kg of car battery lead in nitric acid, and besides the lead nitrate solution, I obtained a small amount of white crystals that would not dissolve in water or nitric acid very well. Its crystal habit was also very distinct from the lead nitrate I obtained from the solutions.

Not sure what it was. Its properties do not seem like an expected product of arsenic or antimony with nitric acid. Antimony nitrate exists, but it is reportedly very soluble in water.

So, I think the car lead was alloyed with something, but not sure what.

tahallium - 25-2-2020 at 08:30

Oh thanks njl so there's no arsenic in the battery?
And when I opened the battery I poured the water and there was no acid left (cuz I'm stupid I didn't charge the battery).
There's just lead oxide and lead sulfate I think

I'm not really scared from lead cuz they still use lead acetate in hair dye (idk why) I know lead is toxic but not as toxic as thallium or cadmium right?

tahallium - 25-2-2020 at 08:33

phlogiston are you sure it wasn't lead sulfate? It's extremely insoluble

B(a)P - 25-2-2020 at 10:50

Quote: Originally posted by tahallium  
Oh thanks njl so there's no arsenic in the battery?
And when I opened the battery I poured the water and there was no acid left (cuz I'm stupid I didn't charge the battery).
There's just lead oxide and lead sulfate I think

I'm not really scared from lead cuz they still use lead acetate in hair dye (idk why) I know lead is toxic but not as toxic as thallium or cadmium right?


What are you trying to do with the lead,? Just because another substance is more toxic than another, does not make it safe. Your potential exposure to a substance to a substance can only be assessed one you know what you are doing with it. Metallic lead at STP can be safely handled, but lead in its ionic form is more toxic.

tahallium - 25-2-2020 at 13:10

B(a)P
I know lead is one of the most toxic elements but it's somewhat interesting and I want to make lead iodide (｡♡‿♡｡)

j_sum1 - 25-2-2020 at 14:38

Quote: Originally posted by tahallium  
B(a)P
I know lead is one of the most toxic elements but it's somewhat interesting and I want to make lead iodide (｡♡‿♡｡)

You don't need a whole car battery for that.
I would begin with a fishing sinker or just a small piece of the battery.

B(a)P - 25-2-2020 at 15:25

Quote: Originally posted by tahallium  
B(a)P
I know lead is one of the most toxic elements but it's somewhat interesting and I want to make lead iodide (｡♡‿♡｡)


Even if your lead has arsenic in it, I don't see how arsine could be formed. Presumably you are converting the lead to its nitrate salt then react with potassium iodide? Or are you trying some other route with the potential to form arsine?

draculic acid69 - 25-2-2020 at 16:52

A product sold in Kmart here for car batteries says contains cadmium sulphate.so potential exposure to cadmium is a possibility.maybe this helps maybe not.

tahallium - 25-2-2020 at 17:34

Thanks so much guys I was also thinking about Extracting antimony from the battery I'll delete this topic.

Texium - 25-2-2020 at 17:47

Quote: Originally posted by tahallium  
Thanks so much guys I was also thinking about Extracting antimony from the battery I'll delete this topic.
Don't delete your post. The thread will still be here and it will look like the first reply was the original post. Forum custom is not to delete any threads besides spam.