how long does it take for NaOH to completely turn into Sodium Carbonate?

[panther123]

I was using diluted drain opener, to open some clogged drains. Now, this drain opener, does not mention any ingredients on the bottle, and I also have tried looking online, it was some local brand, does not show up on Google. But, since, most drain opener have NaOH in them, I am guessing, it did too.

 

Now, what really happened is, I spilled some on my hands, and without knowing it, touched various surfaces around the house, I only came to know, that I have spilled it on my hand, when I noticed some light pink color on my hand. The drain opener, was colored light pink. I rinsed my hand immediately, there is no chemical burn on my hand, But, I am worried, I might have spread it on various different surfaces around the house.

 

If it is indeed the case, how long will it take for the spilled NaOH, to completely turn into sodium carbonate.

[smhjn17]

R u sure of it being naoh?.... May be its an acid , was it soapy ? Or was it fuming ?

If its really naoh , its depends on the atmosphere of ur house may be it gets carboxylated in a day( for u hv just touched it on places, the quqntity would be quite less )

[panther123]

I am not sure it's NaOH, I am just guessing, since every other drain opener, in the market contains Sodium Hydroxide. The Bottle just says Improved Formula(English Formula), doesn't mentions the exact formulation.

 

It wasn't fuming, felt a bit soapy..So, I am guessing it's probably, NaOH..

[John Cuthber]

Sodium hydroxide picks up water from the air very quickly, then it picks up CO2 to become the carbonate, then the carbonate dries.

If it is dry then it's carbonate.

[Sensei]

So, I am guessing it's probably, NaOH..

 

There is simple way to check whether you have NaOH.

 

If you mix acetic acid with sodium bicarbonate aka baking soda (used for baking cakes etc.), there will be released carbon dioxide:

CH₃COOH+NaHCO₃->CH₃COONa+CO₂+H₂O

 

Then if you mix sodium acetate with sodium hydroxide, there will be created methane gas:

CH₃COONa+NaOH->CH₄+Na₂CO₃

Edited July 6, 2015 by Sensei

[hypervalent_iodine]

 

There is simple way to check whether you have NaOH.

 

If you mix acetic acid with sodium bicarbonate aka baking soda (used for baking cakes etc.), there will be released carbon dioxide:

CH₃COOH+NaHCO₃->CH₃COONa+CO₂+H₂O

 

Then if you mix sodium acetate with sodium hydroxide, there will be created methane gas:

CH₃COONa+NaOH->CH₄+Na₂CO₃

 

Er, that won't work. You have to heat anhydrous CH₃COONa with NaOH over CaO to produce methane. I seriously doubt the OP has the sort of set up needed for that.

[John Cuthber]

Using rose petals as a pH indicator is a more realistic test.

[panther123]

Well, determining the pH isn't really the big issue here.

 

I just want to know, how quick is the reaction of NaOH with Air(CO2) to form a carbonate.

 

Say, for example, 50 - 100 ml of NaOH Solution. I Didn't spill this much, but a larger value will give a better idea of the reaction time.

I also noticed on the bottle it says can be used to clean toilet bowls and floors.

 

Now, i have heard, you cannot pour sodium hydroxide down a toilet, since it reacts wit water and causes explosions and splash backs.

 

When I was un-clogging drains, I poured some excess down the toilet, and there was no reaction. So, it might not contain Sodium hydroxide at all..

 

What do you guys make of this inference?

[hypervalent_iodine]

The dissolution of solid sodium hydroxide is exothermic and can generate a lot of heat. If you're dealing with a solution of NaOH mixing that with the water in your toilet will only dilute it and this will not generate much of any heat. In other words, you wouldn't have seen anything.

[GM11]

Be careful alot of Drain openers are in fact sulphuric acid, it is these that are normally a pink colour.

Just wipe the handles etc with a damp clothe, anything that would have been extremely nasty is likely to have reacted with something like a metal door handle. So unless you have only touched plastics you would have seen a reaction.

If you have left over try add ing a tiny amount to baking powder, if it evolves a gas then its acid based and a good wipe with damp cloth soaked in baking powder will suffice.