Nitric Acid blues.....

[lowjack]

Well anyone who's had enough experience with Nitric acid knows that wearing heavy duty chemical protective gloves is a must. It usually only takes one time of spilling any amount of N/Acid onto human skin and the poor victim has branded themself with that ever-so-nasty Yellow skin stain for what seems like for ever.

Anyone got a remedy for Nitric oxidization yellowing on human skin? :confused:

[meselfs]

I think you mean nitric acid yellows...

The nitric acid has mucked up proteins in your skin. If there's a better cure other then leaving it alone, I'll eat my hat.

[c0deblue]

You could always try a DIY "chemical peel" with NaOH, "as recommended by dermatologists". Of course you'd be substituting "beefsteak pink" for "nitric yellow" - at least for a while - but you DID ask. :D

Seriously though, you might be able to reduce the stains somewhat with 240 or so grit silicon carbide paper. Get your hands as clean and dry as possible (e.g. using a hot air drier) and have at it. Careful though, a new sheet of 240 takes off skin layers pretty fast.

[Skean Dhu]

If your going the abrasive route, you may want to consider the various abrasive shop soaps designed to get things off your skin that want to stay there. Cherry bomb made by Zep is a good one, it has a nice cherry scent, There is also the Lava soap sold by gojo I believe.

[vlodjak]

I`ve got those nasty stains too, but they usually don`t stay for a very long time. Usually they wear out in a couple of days.

[Jacks Complete]

Take up smoking roll-ups. :-)

[lowjack]

It wouldnt be so bad had I spilled the stuff on myself being clumbsy. No, an acquaintance of mine didnt feel I was capable of pouring off a few liters out of the keglike container we acquired it in. This damn nitric container keg was so damn heavy, but I had enough experience pouring off bits here and there. Anyways long story short, he sees its an acid and assumes that if it touches his body/hands in any way ,that they'll sizzle off or something. I really didnt think he was as weak as he obviouly was because after ;glug glug and near 5 or 6 glugs till were done, he twitches and my hands holding the funnel caught a nice little splash from what he later claimed was a mosquito buzzing in his ear.

Little price to pay for the $10 I charged him for the 40 oz. bottle full of nitric.
I had a guncotton mission a few years back but I never saw it through. Good thing too cuzz I'd probably have wound up in pieces blown about the room.

[FUTI]

No known cure for that I think. You nitrate protein of the skin and that made skin coloured. Base or reduction can sometimes made thing worse from yellow to redish. In a two week time when your skin replace the surface skin cell layer your problem will vanish.

EDIT: The name of the thread lead me to false assumption that you meant blues as in state of mind caused maybe by NOx...and that is a head-ache that is loooong remembered. :eek:

[Elucifer]

shoot down to your pharmacist and ask for some gentian violet, spray it on with a mister and the purple/violet covers the yellow

Well anyone who's had enough experience with Nitric acid knows that wearing heavy duty chemical protective gloves is a must. It usually only takes one time of spilling any amount of N/Acid onto human skin and the poor victim has branded themself with that ever-so-nasty Yellow skin stain for what seems like for ever.

Anyone got a remedy for Nitric oxidization yellowing on human skin? :confused:

[The_Duke]

When Nitric acid comes into contact with the skin it causes the yellow coloration and stains because of certain proteins in human skin are oxidized by the HNO3 and produce yellow xanthoproteic acid.

I don’t know if there is any way to actually get rid of the yellow stains without removing skin layers. :(

DYK, that when severely poisoned with HNO3 that the yellow xanthoproteic acid is secreted through the skin mainly around the mouth?

[The_Duke]

When Nitric acid comes into contact with the skin it causes the yellow coloration and stains because of certain proteins in human skin are oxidized by the HNO3 and produce yellow xanthoproteic acid.

I don’t know if there is any way to actually get rid of the yellow stains without removing skin layers. :(

DYK, that when severely poisoned with HNO3 that the yellow xanthoproteic acid is secreted through the skin mainly around the mouth?

[The_Duke]

When Nitric acid comes into contact with the skin it causes the yellow coloration and stains because of certain proteins in human skin are oxidized by the HNO3 and produce yellow xanthoproteic acid.

I don’t know if there is any way to actually get rid of the yellow stains without removing skin layers. :(

DYK, that when severely poisoned with HNO3 that the yellow xanthoproteic acid is secreted through the skin mainly around the mouth?

[malzraa]

If these weren't proteins, we could just reduce them. Unfortunately, the acid not only oxidizes them, it also denatures them. Your skin is fucked, buddy. High grit sandpaper is your best option. Speaking of yellow stains, has anyone ever stained their hands with picric acid? That is a bitch to get off too, and it is yellow as hell.

[malzraa]

If these weren't proteins, we could just reduce them. Unfortunately, the acid not only oxidizes them, it also denatures them. Your skin is fucked, buddy. High grit sandpaper is your best option. Speaking of yellow stains, has anyone ever stained their hands with picric acid? That is a bitch to get off too, and it is yellow as hell.

[malzraa]

If these weren't proteins, we could just reduce them. Unfortunately, the acid not only oxidizes them, it also denatures them. Your skin is fucked, buddy. High grit sandpaper is your best option. Speaking of yellow stains, has anyone ever stained their hands with picric acid? That is a bitch to get off too, and it is yellow as hell.

[Child-of-Bodom]

TNP is the most horrible yellow stuff I've worked with...
Stains can best be removed with acetone, but trow away the papers you used! I used (latex) gloves during my TNP syntheses, and it even went through them!

I was most surprised by the following, I let the TNP dry on the filterpaper, placed on 7 layers of tisseu paper, which layed on a plastic, transparant mat on the table, with under it a cotton sheet. After 24h even the cotton sheet was yellow!!

Ontopic, there is no reasonable cure against the yellow stains... But how toxic is it?
Not that I am scared of anything toxic, but more carefull... NO2 is not taken up by the skin, so a spill means nothing more than yellow spot on the skin for a few days, afterwhich the skin will harden and fell off... Íf the spot is not too big of course.

[Child-of-Bodom]

TNP is the most horrible yellow stuff I've worked with...
Stains can best be removed with acetone, but trow away the papers you used! I used (latex) gloves during my TNP syntheses, and it even went through them!

I was most surprised by the following, I let the TNP dry on the filterpaper, placed on 7 layers of tisseu paper, which layed on a plastic, transparant mat on the table, with under it a cotton sheet. After 24h even the cotton sheet was yellow!!

Ontopic, there is no reasonable cure against the yellow stains... But how toxic is it?
Not that I am scared of anything toxic, but more carefull... NO2 is not taken up by the skin, so a spill means nothing more than yellow spot on the skin for a few days, afterwhich the skin will harden and fell off... Íf the spot is not too big of course.

[Child-of-Bodom]

TNP is the most horrible yellow stuff I've worked with...
Stains can best be removed with acetone, but trow away the papers you used! I used (latex) gloves during my TNP syntheses, and it even went through them!

I was most surprised by the following, I let the TNP dry on the filterpaper, placed on 7 layers of tisseu paper, which layed on a plastic, transparant mat on the table, with under it a cotton sheet. After 24h even the cotton sheet was yellow!!

Ontopic, there is no reasonable cure against the yellow stains... But how toxic is it?
Not that I am scared of anything toxic, but more carefull... NO2 is not taken up by the skin, so a spill means nothing more than yellow spot on the skin for a few days, afterwhich the skin will harden and fell off... Íf the spot is not too big of course.

[atlas#11]

Haha, this reminds me of about a year ago when a 500 gallon tank of nitric acid exploded on the railway down town. So much yellow! literaly, yellow clouds of mist everywhere. I bet the cars in the vicinity are rusted to hell about now. Yeah, alot of pedestrians were stained hardcore, I'm not sure of the casualties, but I know a few went to the hospital. Either way, a damn waste of good nitric.

Your skin problem will be gone in 28 days (I think thats the time it takes for your skin to change layers.) or less. What are you worried about any ways? You think anyone will assosiate yellow skin with explosives? Just tell them a highlighter broke in your pocket or something.

[megalomania]

I have been stained by picric acid, nitric acid, and silver nitrate. I always wear gloves, but a few drops here and there, or picking up a bottle after you deglove can get you. The best cure is to wait for the skin to regrow. The staining is not dangerous or toxic in moderation. If you are yellow from stem to stern, you might want to see a doctor...

[Cindor]

If you don't care about your cells and just want to get the yellow away try with H2O2... maybe 30 vol., 50 vol. or so...
Not that it will eat up your skin, but it wont help, and will oxidize it a little bit.

[sbovisjb1]

I suggest you getting the skin treated or try washing it with a mild acid such as lemon juice. Then try to remove the skin, but as megalomania said, the best way is to let the skin grow back.

[Universal]

From what I have found with nitric acid burns, is that they turn into a sort of blister and peel off :o. They last for a while but it depends how severly stained you are. They don't hurt though, thankfully.