Need help find source for acid in Georgia. Thanks in advance.

I can`t help you much with threads hear from 'downunder' but I found the only sources that were available for AR grade H2SO4 & Phosphoric acid are Lab supply companies. And nothing smaller than 2.5ltrs. If nothing local it will cost you a courier/shipping fair unfortunately. Good luck.

I order some from red bird services on the net.

My local chemical supply house, Aderson Chemical refused to sell to me. They gave no reason.

Jim
This is a net source answer. I have been looking at www.reagents.com Interesting site.

In the making biodiesel part of the forum Kenito Oko says that you can get 93% sulfuric acid in a product called "Pro Liquid" drain opener. He said it is available at Ace Hardware.

PrestoPasto,
That seems very unlikely, must be a mistake surely. Most drain cleaners use caustic soda at varying strengths. Somehow 93% sulphuric acid doesn't seem like the thing you can buy over the counter.
regards

no, it's true. it's less common to use sulfuric acid as drain opener but it is available at Ace hardware and sometimes at Home Depot. all the names of these products vary wildly and the purity does too. I used Bull Dozer and another brand successfully as a cheap source of sulfuric acid for acid-base biodiesel.

mark

Girl Mark,
Thanks for putting me straight on that one. I also had problems getting high% sulphuric for some tests, I will have to re-check the local hardware stores.
Apologies to PrestoPasto.
regards
dva

Hi DVA,
it's not exactly a common item here, so it's quite possible that you just dont' have it in England if you haven't heard of it.

I think that a long time ago Tilly posted one of his Google finds on the Yahoo Biodiesel list, which claimed that the hardware store sulfuric acid drain openers range from 45% to the high 90%'s. Of course the website where Google found the discussion on sulfuric acid purity wasn't exactly a reputable source- something like a bombmaking site or something!!!!!! (homeland security has probably taken care of that by now)

Anyway if you find sulfuric acid drain cleaner at the hardware store, you can always contact the manufacturer to find out the assay of the sulfuric acid and then you'll know for sure. I think that it's not all that important exactly how strong it has to be- 93% is probably what mine was, and there's no big difference between 95% and 98% for instance despite allegations to the contrary.

I found the drain opener to be about $7 for one quart, which is PLENTY for experiments, and later found it much cheaper as a technical grade sulfuric acid (98%) here in the SF area (at ALameda Chemical, you have to be a business to buy from them and you have to buy 4 gallons at a time, so it's not a practical source for beginners in acidbase since you don't know for sure that you'll keep doing acidbase reactions and can use all that sulfuric acid).

If you do acidbase biodiesel, start with small liter experiments- either do pop bottle batches and keep them warm in a water bath in a crockpot slow cooker, or do the type of small test batch reactor that is listed in the processors section of journeytoforever.org (much better since you don't have to keep shaking the thing and can do reactions over several hours)

Mark (procrastinating on some article writing= huge tomes on the lists result instead of my stupid article)

Jim
We live close together Ga/SC.
Ace Hardware has Rooto brand drain cleaner. Do not know %.
5/18 at 3pm put 10 liters wvo titrating at 14 in small processor. Heated to ~55c,added 1 liter methanol,added 40 ml rooto (sulfuric acid). 5/19 at 7:30am removed heat. 5/19 at 6:30pm performed titration. Titrated at 6.

DVA

Try B&Q One shot professional drain cleaner or some such. I think it ws in a yellow box.

You might need to go to one of the big wharehouse branches, that's where I have seen it.

I haven't tried it as I have a couple of Winchesters anyway but I rember looking at it and confirming it was sulphuric.

If you have trouble finding it tell me and I will check the exact brand for you to ask B&Q for.

Ant

I was able to get some from a car parts store... I think it was car quest...comes in a nice little plastic lined cardboard box with handy pour spout(for filling batteries)
They did have to order it ...it took a day.
Places that test or sell car batteries would probably also have it.

Ant,
thanks, I'll check my b&q this weekend.
Wannabeeefficient,
What is the strengh of the stuff you bought? It is usually quite low for direct battery use.
regards
dva

I think the batery places buy it in conc and then dilute it down with deionised water.

I you asked them nicely they might let you have some conc.

Ant

It doesnt specifically say on the box if its 100% but you need to dilute it 50/50 with water for your battery

Easy test. Only high % sulfuric acid will char sugar(make it grow while turning it black). Put several spoonfulls in a container and pour in an equal amount of the SA. The sugar will char in under a minute if the % is high enough.