Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Nitric acid skin burn - Powered by XMB 1.9.11 (Debug Mode)

Nitric acid skin burn

draculic acid69 - 2-1-2023 at 02:31

Ok so the other night on NYE I decided to try something I've been wondering for a while, can I dip or add colouring components to sparklers to change the spark colour.the answer so far is no. Lithium nitrate seemed like a good idea to rub onto a sparkler and it was uneventful no red flame or sparks were observed.anyways while making the lithium nitrate I managed to get some on my skin which is easy enough to wash off at nearest tap.now my hno3 was in an old plastic bottle that was starting to fall apart so a make shift funnel was made and hno3 was transferred to a glass bottle in this process I somehow missed a fair bit of acid on a few fingers and apparently I wasn't quick enough to rinse it. photos below shows the effect relatively painless except for the ring finger. I'm guessing it'll heal

j_sum1 - 2-1-2023 at 02:37

Ouch.
Do look after yourself.

Edit.
Nitrated skin is dead. If it is just epidermis then it will wear off in a few days.
Nitration beliw the epidermis is likely to be painful. That could take some time to hesl and may scar. Watch for infection.

[Edited on 2-1-2023 by j_sum1]

Admagistr - 2-1-2023 at 03:13

Quote: Originally posted by draculic acid69

Ok so the other night on NYE I decided to try something I've been wondering for a while, can I dip or add colouring components to sparklers to change the spark colour.the answer so far is no. Lithium nitrate seemed like a good idea to rub onto a sparkler and it was uneventful no red flame or sparks were observed.anyways while making the lithium nitrate I managed to get some on my skin which is easy enough to wash off at nearest tap.now my hno3 was in an old plastic bottle that was starting to fall apart so a make shift funnel was made and hno3 was transferred to a glass bottle in this process I somehow missed a fair bit of acid on a few fingers and apparently I wasn't quick enough to rinse it. photos below shows the effect relatively painless except for the ring finger. I'm guessing it'll heal

LiNO3 is quite hydroscopic, so probably not suitable for sparklers and pyrotechnics as a main ingredient.Get well soon!

XeonTheMGPony - 2-1-2023 at 03:31

Wash frequently in cool water with mild soap. To the open skin area apply polysporin or generic brand and lightly bandage, or use vitamin E.

Honey, raw ideal is all so a very effective dressing, but you must protect with a bandage (This all so helps remind you to not fully use the finger)

this will lead to fastest healing.

Fery - 2-1-2023 at 04:25

It will heal. When I was a boy I used conc HNO3 to get rid of warts, my father supplied me with the acid from his work. AgNO3 from pharmacy (stilus argenti nitrici = lapis devil's stone stick) was ineffective and terrible slow.
The whole epidermis is capable to replace during 28 days. If you etched only thinner layer then faster. If deeper than only epidermis, then the lower layers of skin could heal with a scar.
For pyro I would use KNO3 and add LiCl to change color. Or Sr(NO3)2. K salts colorize only very weakly so other metals easily change the color. Cl anion is essential in some situations, if not present in salt you can add powdered PVC.
Here we already discussed some HNO3 burns on skin:
https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/viewthread.php?tid=15...
https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/viewthread.php?tid=62...

Junk_Enginerd - 2-1-2023 at 06:14

Thought my thread might be mentioned.

It took two or three months IIRC until it was fully healed, but my burn was DEEP, definitely third degree. There's a pretty obvious scar now but it healed well all things considered. It complements the scar I have right next to it from a splash of molten aluminium... Poor left arm has to take constant abuse from right hand.

Mateo_swe - 2-1-2023 at 10:17

Looks painful, i hope you heal soon.

HNO3 for warts?
I have seen mini flasks of glacial acetic acid in the pharmacy for warts long time ago but not HNO3, but maybe the effect is same.

Fery - 2-1-2023 at 14:21

Mateo_swe - my partner brought me official remedy for curing warts from her job. I forgot the name of the product, but it was something like 10 ml of diluted formic acid for a price like 20 EUR - I may ask her for the name, she will certainly remember. I told her that this acid is too slow compared with HNO3 and too overpriced. I used to buy 85% formic acid for something like 4 EUR for 1 L. I do not suggest using HNO3 but for me it was the most efficient and fastest method :-)

draculic acid69 - 2-1-2023 at 23:03

Quote: Originally posted by Admagistr

[/rquote]
LiNO3 is quite hydroscopic, so probably not suitable for sparklers and pyrotechnics as a main ingredient.Get well soon!

I unfortunately only found out about it's hydroscopic nature after the fact. I really should have looked into it beforehand.

draculic acid69 - 2-1-2023 at 23:06

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1

Ouch.
Do look after yourself.

Edit.
Nitrated skin is dead. If it is just epidermis then it will wear off in a few days.
Nitration beliw the epidermis is likely to be painful. That could take some time to hesl and may scar. Watch for infection.

[Edited on 2-1-2023 by j_sum1]

I don't think it went too deep anywhere except the ring finger everything else is only superficial

draculic acid69 - 13-1-2023 at 00:53

This was fully healed at the 9 day mark.no scarring but no fingerprints have regrown.

nitric acid burns

Nitrous2000 - 17-1-2023 at 14:51

hey guys,

Just one thing to keep in mind about nitric acid burns on human skin. In some people it can result in quite dramatic keloid formation.

Many years ago, my friend and I were working with conc nitric acid. and he grabbed the bottle by the glass stopper. The net result was a spill.... small amount on me (through my jeans) and quite a bit more on his leg. Within two weeks, he had developed very thick keloid tissue where the acid came into contact.

In my case, I was left with a residual reddened patch that fades and returns under various conditions. ie when it's cold - when it's hot (hot tub etc)

Much nicer to avoid these burns and always have an appropriate alkali to neutralize and minimize damage.