metals in lye??

[hexagonium]

Swim's always used the same lye for basing his goodies ever since the inception of his dreams. But now, the local area seems as if they have some sort of shortage. Swim has not ventured to ask. He found a different one which, upon shaking, sounded just like the devil's own- granular and dry). The label says "contains sodium hydroxide" although no other information is available on the label.

When swim opened the plastic jar, it looked identical to his old standby EXCEPT, there seems to be hundreds of little metal pieces in it. Is this safe to use? What are they?

[hypo]

add water and you'll get Al + OH- --> AlOxide + H2

[hexagonium]

That still doesn't help swim. How do you know it is aluminum? Is it a common practice to add aluminum in sodium hydroxide to clean drains? Is this substance as packaged safe to use to base post rxn fluid?? Thanks.

[hypo]

> How do you know it is aluminum?

i don't, but my bad ass crystall ball says so.

> Is it a common practice to add aluminum in sodium hydroxide to clean drains?

where i live, it is.

> Is this substance as packaged safe to use to base post rxn fluid??

i wouldn't use it. (try adding water and see what happens)

[hexagonium]

hypo, before swim read your last post, he had already added some of the substance to some previously based (with the old standby) rxn solution (containing water). the silver pieces fell to the bottom and turned black? I wonder why no one has mentioned these pieces in this forum if it is common? I did a search and came up empty.

[hypo]

> before swim read your last post, he had already added some of the
> substance to some previously based (with the old standby) rxn solution
> (containing water).

i don't know tweeker-lingo, so i have no idea to what you added the drain
cleaner.    is this a biphasic mixture?

> the silver pieces fell to the bottom and turned black?

really? no gas evolution? maybe it isn't aluminium after all.
what happens when you dissolve some of the drain cleaner (with
metal) in a bit (not much!) of water?

anyway, just filter the black stuff off. shouldn't matter at all.

>  I did a search and came up empty.

try google with "drain cleaner sodium hydroxide aluminum". maybe
your brand of drain cleaner shows up.  

[wareami]

Ware Ibee lives he found himself in a similar situation long ago.
The aluminum shavings were bigger than the little white lyes.
Use a strainer or equivalent to sift the lye and leave the aluminum in behind.
It worked for The Kidz!

[navarone]

he he i had the same problem too ya noe?

anyway there is a cure for obtaining pure naoh.

as our friend said

2NaOH + (M) + 2H2O -----> H2 + MO* + NaOH

now wut we want is to take off those oxides

a almost invisible percent of the metals will transform to hydroxides...but thats not bad since all metal hydroxides works for A/B extractions.

usually metal oxides are not very soluble in water..aluuminum oxide is in fact just 5% soluble in cold water.

even if the oxides are soluble it doesnt mean they r not filtrable.

with a little bit of basic chem i found out a very easy way to make this extaction.

first off, dissolve ur naoh + m in distilled water.

with a stirring rod mix the shit together and do so until the naoh has completely dissolved.

the metals will start reacting with the naoh solution and u will see some bubbling and white powder floating or depositing in da container.

now prepare a filtration apparatus with 2 coffe filters.

now the beaker should be cooled for a while to make most of the oxides undissolve since they r almost not soluble in cold water.

i noe the oxides are filtrable and will remain in da filter but by cooling down the water u prevent the usual "stop" when unsoluble substances are filteed.
usually when u filter something at the beginning it goes fast but it starts to slow down with time cuz the unsoluble stuff gets inbetween the coffe filter paper fibers.
while accumulating sometimes it will stop the filtering.

anyway once the naoh is totaly disolved, pour the liquid in the filtration apparatus.

slowsly the NaOH(aq) will drop down and all....i mean all the oxides will be trapped by the coffe filter. guarantee.
in fact u will se white powder accumulating in da filter.

now the filtered liquid is a pure NaOH solution with a 0.5% of MOH wich will not disturb at all since its also an acid base and works great anyway.

if u want u can dry the solution and get naoh powder but i prefer to keep the solution.
i prefer to use a concentrated solution of naoh since its easier to mix it and to put the exact ammount in.
i made a 30% solution of naoh and it works great during acid base cuz its more precise when testing the PH.

i drop the liquid slowly while mixing and use my electrical PH tester (u can buy it in hardware stores and gardening stores)
its easier to do it this way to get the exact ph needed.

hope this will be some use to u all.

respect bees.

ciao