Oxyalic Acid

Trial and error. I buy it in pots of 500g crystals and generally want enough to cover my boat which seems to take between a third and half a bucket when it's slopped on. I now realise this is somewhat weaker than a saturated solution but it does a good job nevertheless!

Ed
 
Re: Oxalic Acid

I guess Metal Gleam is something more than just oxalic acid. If it were 10% oxalic acid and you dilute it about 50 fold that means it ends up only 0.2% and that's pretty dilute compared with what we have been talking about.
 
Re: Oxalic Acid

[ QUOTE ]
The same stuff can be bought from brick supply companies, oxalic acid is used to clean bricks.

[/ QUOTE ]
I thought the brick stuff was muriatic, a weak version of sulphuric? (not a trick question... I'd like to know)

John
 
Re: Oxalic Acid

Muriatic acid and spirits of salts are old names for hydrochloric acid, which is what I too thought was in brick cleaner.

Oil of vitriol is the old name for (concentrated) sulphuric acid
 
I know nothing about the subject but I do seem to remember some advice on gardners question time that you shouldn't eat Rhubarb after mid summer as the acid buildup becomes dangerous.
 
Dear oh dear.
Oxalic acid is present in Rhubarb leaves, but not in a concentration to clean boats. It's not present in the stems, which is why they are edible.

I was going to say any biology A level student could tell the forumites such things, but then realised they probably don't teach such things anymore

Not aimed at you Mark, just a comment on posts so far in this thread
 
On offence taken just thought I would pass on the advise remembered. Its strange what sticks in the mind and how things are associated.

Gardening /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif - Rhubarb - Oxalic Acid - Sailing /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Re: Oxalic Acid

Source of my information is Bayley's Chemists' Pocket Book, 1948 edition (when I used to be a chemistry student! ). Page 171 - solubility of (COOH)2.2H2O (oops this doesn't do subscripts!) 9.5g/l at 15 c. I don't suppose it's changed much since then.

Geoff
 
Wow! That's a damn good guess or you've got inside information!

A dessertspoonful of Fairy liquid in 50ml water with a teaspoonful of salt gives more than a passing resemblance to Y10!!!

Geoff
 
Re: Oxalic Acid

Should be 9.5g/100ml I reckon otherwise a lot a of other references are wrong. It is usual to quote solubility as g/100ml. It is difficult to find accurate solubility data though. I guess there's not a lot of credit attached to acquiring such info. But while following up some Google leads I came across detailed instructions for determining it for oxalic acid. It's a pity I'm not now in a position to give it a try.
Life's difficult without a lab.
 
Top