How to Neutralize an Acid Spill

Always neutralize acid spills to avoid harming others.

Some of the most potentially hazardous spills in the lab are acid spills. Acids cause burns to the skin and if brought into contact with clothing or other oxidizing materials, it could result in a fire. Neutralizing an acid spill requires that a base is available to add to the acid in order to produce water and a salt as the reaction products. The base used can take the form of a solid or a liquid. The most common base around households and laboratories is baking soda. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and reacts with acids to produce carbon dioxide and water. For very concentrated strong acids, a better choice for a neutralizer is calcium carbonate.

Things You'll Need

• Baking soda
• Calcium carbonate

Instructions

1. Remove all items from the immediate vicinity of the spill. Avoiding clutter during a cleanup will prevent further possibilities of problems.

2. Sprinkle baking soda or calcium carbonate on the spill slowly. The reaction will produce a small amount of foam as the solid and acid interact and carbon dioxide evolves. When the solid contacts with the liquid, fizzing occurs.

3. Continue to add the solid until there is no more fizzing. This indicates that you have neutralized the acid. Avoid adding too much of the solids at one time.

4. Scoop up the solid material left on the spill site and dispose of it in the garbage or solid waste container. Wipe down the region that was involved in the acid spill and cleanup. Use a lot of water during the cleanup. If any small areas of acid were not neutralized, the water will dilute it and eliminate the hazard.

References

• Department of Energy, Ask a Scientist: Neutralizing Acid Spills