Sodium hydroxide

J. Daryl CLine <darylcline [at] yahoo__com> writes

>Has anyone ever used Red Devil Drain Cleaner to mix a solution of
>sodium hydroxide to use as an Electrolyte for an Electrolysis tank?
>The container says 100% lye.

There are lots of chemicals that I might use as an electrolyte, but
sodium hydroxide is not one of them--the safety issues are just too
significant. Since I assume that this is being done for some
institution, I am sure that you are aware of the need to comply with
OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard and one of the first steps is
to get an MSDS for the product. I think after a brief reading you
may agree that this isn't such a good idea. Consider sodium
carbonate as a safer alternative.

Michael Trinkley, Ph.D.
Director
Chicora Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 8664
Columbia, SC 29202-8664
803-787-6910


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 15:5
                  Distributed: Thursday, June 21, 2001
                        Message Id: cdl-15-5-003
                                  ***