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Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Nick1911 on March 15, 2010, 12:29:12 PM

Title: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Nick1911 on March 15, 2010, 12:29:12 PM
Sulfuric acid falls under the regulation of the DEA:

Quote
In the US sulfuric acid is included in List II of the list of essential or precursor chemicals established pursuant to the Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act. Accordingly, transactions of sulfuric acid—such as sales, transfers, exports from and imports to the United States—are subject to regulation and monitoring by the Drug Enforcement Administration

Huh.  Would not have guessed that.  This would explain why it's so hard to find for retail sales.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: TMM on March 15, 2010, 12:35:05 PM
maybe sulfuric acid is used in the manufacture of meth or lsd or something? i know those concoctions have some nasty chemicals in them... that's probably why i got carded when i bought a can of carburetor cleaner...

tmm
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Sergeant Bob on March 15, 2010, 12:41:46 PM
Hey, another victory in the War on Drugs people don't like!

I wonder if the DEA will bust all the people who cry when cutting onions? Wipes.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: 280plus on March 15, 2010, 04:24:52 PM
Ain't the electrolyte they sell for batteries H2SO4?
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: drewtam on March 15, 2010, 07:15:19 PM
Hmm, just cool the exhaust of a diesel engine running some of the older fuels (before ULSD and LSD). Sulphuric acid is one of the first liquids to precipitate out, before water and other byproducts of combustion.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Balog on March 15, 2010, 07:18:12 PM
Ain't the electrolyte they sell for batteries H2SO4?

Johnny was a careless boy
Now Johnny is no more
What he thought was H2O
Was H2SO4

^^^ All I know about chemistry ;)
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: RevDisk on March 15, 2010, 07:47:46 PM
Sulfuric acid falls under the regulation of the DEA:

Huh.  Would not have guessed that.  This would explain why it's so hard to find for retail sales.

You can get nitric acid easier than sulfuric, which is just plain stupid.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: PTK on March 15, 2010, 07:51:50 PM
You can get nitric acid easier than sulfuric, which is just plain stupid.

Indeed it is. I seem to recall buying sulfuric acid at the hardware store just a couple years ago, too.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: AmbulanceDriver on March 15, 2010, 07:52:54 PM
Why does the mere though of RevDisk with nitric acid scare the bejeebers outta me?
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: PTK on March 15, 2010, 07:57:36 PM
I have a bunch of nitric, too. And a garage full of various chemicals. Just to add to your fear and all...  =D
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: drewtam on March 15, 2010, 08:00:55 PM
Why does the mere though of RevDisk with nitric acid scare the bejeebers outta me?

Because he also likes to make homemade soap too.  :O
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: BReilley on March 15, 2010, 08:05:46 PM
Hm.  My battery warehouse has at least one pallet of 5gal containers of the stuff.  While it may be regulated by the DEA, it is important to note that it is not, at least to my knowledge, a "controlled substance".

And yes, I seem to remember hearing on the radio that sulfuric acid can be used to make cocaine.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: PTK on March 15, 2010, 08:08:42 PM
Hm.  My battery warehouse has at least one pallet of 5gal containers of the stuff.  While it may be regulated by the DEA, it is important to note that it is not, at least to my knowledge, a "controlled substance".

And yes, I seem to remember hearing on the radio that sulfuric acid can be used to make cocaine.

...yeah, only if you already have the coca leaves, which is the hard part.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Nick1911 on March 15, 2010, 08:33:57 PM
You can get nitric acid easier than sulfuric, which is just plain stupid.

It is really funny that you said that.  I was telling a coworker about this at work, who said, "Well why would nitric acid be worse then sulfuric?"

Der, most every explosive out there is based on nitric acid. RDX, PETN, Nitroglycerin, etc.  Apparently most people are unaware of this.

What are they teaching kids in school these days.  :P
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: freakazoid on March 15, 2010, 08:39:54 PM
Sulfuric acid can also be used to make explosives.  :angel:
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: PTK on March 15, 2010, 08:41:47 PM
Yep, of course, sulfuric can be used to make nitric, too.

I'm still just stunned by this mentality of "ban/control all chems used to possibly make drugs".
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Harold Tuttle on March 15, 2010, 09:15:53 PM
I edited a video of farmers making cocoa base in columbia

they set up a block holding pen with a concrete slab
fill it with cocoa, then masticate it together with bleach & water using gas weed wackers

then they pour on kerosine and drain

then they extract the alkaloids using hydrochloric or sulfuric acid solutions
finally they use sodium carbonate to precipitate the base out of the solution


they don't seem to file an environmental impact report for all the crap they drain off to the jungle
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: MillCreek on March 15, 2010, 09:35:13 PM
^^^^ Geez, speaking as a trained chemist, this makes me shudder.  Not exactly a lab-quality extraction process.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: RocketMan on March 15, 2010, 09:46:55 PM
A little nitric acid, a little glycerine, and some foolish kitchen chemistry....kaboom!

Of course there is more to it than that, but you get the idea.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: PTK on March 15, 2010, 09:48:11 PM
I will never forget the closet chemist in my last apartment complex. One day I see him running away from his building, full steam, wearing a gasmask. Red fumes followed - nutcase was screwing with nitration mixes without a fume hood!  :O
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: French G. on March 15, 2010, 09:50:21 PM
And then people put that crap in their veins or nose. Unless you're Stevie Nicks, then there are other options.

Don't think I'll be a druggie ever.   [barf]



Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Regolith on March 15, 2010, 09:59:58 PM
I will never forget the closet chemist in my last apartment complex. One day I see him running away from his building, full steam, wearing a gasmask. Red fumes followed - nutcase was screwing with nitration mixes without a fume hood!  :O

 :O :O


That would make me very, very nervous...
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: PTK on March 15, 2010, 10:03:50 PM
If I hadn't known exactly what he was up to, I would've taken off running as well. As it stood, I was nearly 400 yards from his apartment block. No worries.  =D
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: sanglant on March 15, 2010, 11:04:33 PM
if this keeps up we will be back to standing at the counter listing what we want to buy. =D i'm looking forward to it, always liked those stores. :angel: of course it'll be a three to four hour wait. =|
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: BReilley on March 15, 2010, 11:39:19 PM
I edited a video of farmers making cocoa base in columbia

they set up a block holding pen with a concrete slab
fill it with cocoa, then masticate it together with bleach & water using gas weed wackers

then they pour on kerosine and drain

then they extract the alkaloids using hydrochloric or sulfuric acid solutions
finally they use sodium carbonate to precipitate the base out of the solution


they don't seem to file an environmental impact report for all the crap they drain off to the jungle

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/cocaine/cocaenv.htm (http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/cocaine/cocaenv.htm)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/19/cocaine-rainforests-columbia-santos-calderon (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/19/cocaine-rainforests-columbia-santos-calderon)

Which is why we need to legalize it and tax it, man! :rolleyes: (phooey, we need a :hippie: emoticon here)
It's funny that we should be discussing this now, a local morning show mentioned that very topic.
Also, after reading your explanation of the process, two thoughts come to me:
1) No *wonder* people get bad-ass crazy dreams from snorting that crap, and
2) It's absolutely amazing and a testament to the resilience of the human body that it can survive the ingestion of such a product.

I will never forget the closet chemist in my last apartment complex. One day I see him running away from his building, full steam, wearing a gasmask. Red fumes followed - nutcase was screwing with nitration mixes without a fume hood!  :O

:lol: that's a mighty funny mental picture :)
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Battle Monkey of Zardoz on March 16, 2010, 12:03:40 AM
Sulfuric Acid (N50).  I have a buttload of it. I work in the oilfield and use it in chemical testing of drilling fluids, alkalinity comtents of drilling fluids. No paperwork, no jumping through hoops to get it.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: 280plus on March 16, 2010, 12:26:35 AM
Quote
2) It's absolutely amazing and a testament to the resilience of the human body that it can survive the ingestion of such a product.
Yes it can, but not for all that long. it's the kind of stuff that leaves you with two choices. Smarten up and quit,,, or die.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: 209 on March 16, 2010, 03:38:57 AM

Yep, of course, sulfuric can be used to make nitric, too.

I'm still just stunned by this mentality of "ban/control all chems used to possibly make drugs".


I remember sitting though a class given by a DEA agent on meth production telling us that possession of large qualities of iodine (either crystals or tincture) were a tell-tale indicator of meth-making.  I said I had a few gallons of tincture and probably several bottles of crystals at home.  He eyed me sort of suspiciously.  So I had to admit I have a small horse farm.  :laugh:

There is a law requiring data collection on anyone buying over 0.4 kilograms of the crystals.  They don't require an instant background though.   ;)

I could see them pass some law for acid too, though I think the drug makers commonly use drain cleaner for their acid source.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Physics on March 16, 2010, 03:45:21 AM
I like perchloric acid myself. >:D  Shake, shake, BOOOM! 

It's funny that my boss made me the lab chemical safety officer.  All my colleagues were a bit worried when they came in one day and I was going over MSDS's.  "Hey, did you know that can make HCl explosive?!?" 

"Oh hey, wow, I didn't know (insert name of chemical stocked in the lab) was explosive in the presence of (insert name of other chemical stored right next to other chemical)!" 

"Hey Mike!!!  Put on your damn safety goggles!  And get me the silver perchlorate, carbon tetrachloride and the HCl, I've got a little something I'd like to try out back!"   

MSDS's are fun. =D


Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: PTK on March 16, 2010, 04:15:56 AM
 =D
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Viking on March 16, 2010, 05:37:21 AM
It is really funny that you said that.  I was telling a coworker about this at work, who said, "Well why would nitric acid be worse then sulfuric?"

Der, most every explosive out there is based on nitric acid. RDX, PETN, Nitroglycerin, etc.  Apparently most people are unaware of this.

What are they teaching kids in school these days.  :P
Not enough fun stuff. I was allowed to make blackpowder, and the teacher didn't object to me trying to mix up nitrocellolouse either. I do wonder what became of that. It turned out to be the last lesson, and I shoved on top of a cupboard for it to dry. I wonder if it's still there after all these (9 or 10) years? =D :laugh:
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: kgbsquirrel on March 16, 2010, 06:20:42 AM
We had a chem teacher we called Mister "Boom-Boom" Bloom at my high school. If I recall one of his favorite pass times was a few drops of gasoline and ether in a 2 liter with a spark plug. He was also responsible for setting the east lawn on fire more than once. Despite these eccentricities he was a bloody genius with an English sense of humor. Fun times were had by all (except for the more nervous and timid students, heh  =D).
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: HankB on March 16, 2010, 08:36:55 AM
I could see them pass some law for acid too, though I think the drug makers commonly use drain cleaner for their acid source.
I thought drain cleaners were alkali? Doesn't Drano contain sodium hydroxide?

In my (much) younger days we had all sorts of chemicals . . . potassium nitrate, potassium chlorate, potassium cyanide, uranium nitrate, iodine crystals . . . and never did anything nefarious.

But it did serve to keep chemistry class interesting.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Stand_watie on March 16, 2010, 08:50:06 AM
I thought drain cleaners were alkali? Doesn't Drano contain sodium hydroxide?

In my (much) younger days we had all sorts of chemicals . . . potassium nitrate, potassium chlorate, potassium cyanide, uranium nitrate, iodine crystals . . . and never did anything nefarious.

But it did serve to keep chemistry class interesting.

Yes. We use a lot of sodium hydroxide at work (produced by other divisions of our company). Interestingly enough our wastewater tends to be too high ph to release to the sewer...solution? Add small amounts of HCl until the Ph is right.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: zahc on March 16, 2010, 09:12:08 AM
I used to buy gallons of sulfuric acid at a time to do anodizing of aluminum parts.

Now I play with HF all the time at work.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: AJ Dual on March 16, 2010, 09:32:56 AM
Johnny was a chemist's son, but alas, Johnny is no more.

What he thought was a glass of H2O, was eighteen molar H2SO4.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: 209 on March 16, 2010, 09:46:38 AM

I thought drain cleaners were alkali? Doesn't Drano contain sodium hydroxide?


I think there are three or more methods used to make meth.  But the class was about 4-6 years ago and since meth isn't a major issue 'round my parts, I didn't exactly retain a lot of the info imparted to me.  For some reason, I recollect drain cleaners were something used in at least one method.

What I really remember was listening to all of the toxic materials used in the various processes and wondering why anyone would consider using the stuff to begin with. Can't be good for a person.  :O
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Monkeyleg on March 16, 2010, 09:47:07 AM
When I had my photo studio, in the building next door was a chemical company. They did pretty much all chemicals, and every so often they'd have a spill.

Once they had a spill of hydrochloric acid. I don't know what the strength was, but you could smell it for blocks. It ran down their driveway and into the street.

The hazmat crew showed up and closed off the street. Somewhere I have a photo of the hazmat crew effortlessly sinking a shovel into a concrete sidewalk slab. Pretty nasty stuff.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Nick1911 on March 16, 2010, 10:04:48 AM
So I've phoned around a bit...  No luck.

The real chemical supply houses don't see interested in selling to the general public.  Places like hardware stores don't stock such a product (Although I seem to recall the hardware store in my parents home town carried it?)
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: RocketMan on March 16, 2010, 10:06:25 AM
An arsenic trioxide release, RocketMan bare-assed in the parking lot, about to go through the FD's portable hazmat shower.  Film crews from the local news station busily videoing everything.  What a fun evening that was.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: HankB on March 16, 2010, 11:15:14 AM
. . . What I really remember was listening to all of the toxic materials used in the various processes and wondering why anyone would consider using the stuff to begin with. Can't be good for a person.  :O
I'm picky about where I shop for groceries and what restaurants I eat in . . . and I tend to avoid the jerky samples at gun shows, too.

I just can't see the attraction in snorting/swallowing/injecting something a grubby wacko cooked up in his garage or basement using toxic substances that would make a chemist blanche while following a recipe scribbled in crayon on the back of a shopping bag that he got from another stoned druggie.  ;/
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Cromlech on March 16, 2010, 11:23:54 AM
A little nitric acid, a little glycerine, and some foolish kitchen chemistry....kaboom!

I did something like that when I was maybe 14. Put it in a plastic bottle, and hit it with a stick.   :facepalm:
Nothing happened of course, because the acid was super-weak stuff that I had 'borrowed' from school.

I shudder to think how stupid that was and how lucky I was to not have actually succeeded, when I got around to reading up on exactly how sensitive Nitroglycerin was.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: RevDisk on March 16, 2010, 11:25:54 AM
Why does the mere though of RevDisk with nitric acid scare the bejeebers outta me?

Apparently I should not mention that I've moved around 55 gallon drums of nitric acid?


Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: AJ Dual on March 16, 2010, 11:38:28 AM
Apparently I should not mention that I've moved around 55 gallon drums of nitric acid?

I've got a bunch of Hexamine fuel tabs for a British SAS field stove. Who's going to bring the Lecithin and the Mineral Oil?
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Cromlech on March 16, 2010, 11:45:39 AM
I remember reading a 'recipe' from TBBOB that mentioned those. I had a whole bunch of those Hexi Blocks myself at one point, but they never got replaced when used, after buying myself a lovely little gas camping stove.
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Harold Tuttle on March 16, 2010, 11:51:46 AM
joy of innerwebs:
http://www.bombshock.com/forum/drugs/6988-how-make-crank-meth-aka-shake-n-bake.html
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: 280plus on March 16, 2010, 11:52:07 AM
Heck, I worked at an anodizing plant for a while and we had like 3000 gal tanks each of 100% Sulfuric, Nitric and sodium hydroxide. I discovered the hard way one day that a 5 gal bucket of undiluted sulfuric ways a LOT more than a 5 gal bucket of water. I also took a nice maybe 30% sulfuric acid bath one day. Got it in my mouth but somehow avoided getting it in my eyes. Yup, naked under the emergency shower I went. My favorite thing to do was toss a penny into the diluted nitric tank cause it fizzled like an alka seltzer and made pretty orange smoke.  =D

We had skids of 100 lb bags of baking soda for neutralization purposes and we had a huge holding tank with a big mixer for waste water that was monitored electronically and automatically fed acid or base to maintain a 7 ph. Took a bath in that *expletive deleted*it too.

The outside contractor techie who was working on the tank somehow managed to break the bottom drain valve off. I think the bolts on the flange had rotted through. There the guy was trying desperately to blank off the flange by himself while an enormous "Uh oh squad" stood there and watched. Well, I had Navy damage control school under my belt and it appeared I was the only one besides the tech who had a clue of how to blank off a gushing flange so I dove in with him and we had it done in like 60 seconds. I was hero of the plant for about 5 minutes.

First and only time I ever got to use that training for real.  =D
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Sawdust on March 16, 2010, 11:58:13 AM
I edited a video of farmers making cocoa base in columbia

they set up a block holding pen with a concrete slab
fill it with cocoa, then masticate it together with bleach & water using gas weed wackers

then they pour on kerosine and drain

then they extract the alkaloids using hydrochloric or sulfuric acid solutions
finally they use sodium carbonate to precipitate the base out of the solution


they don't seem to file an environmental impact report for all the crap they drain off to the jungle


Holy crap!

*That's* how chocolate is made?!?!?!?!?!

Sawdust  ;)
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: 280plus on March 16, 2010, 12:03:02 PM
Takes the Quik right out of your Nestle's doesn't it?  :P
Title: Re: Sulfuric Acid
Post by: Harold Tuttle on March 16, 2010, 12:44:42 PM
oops

Coca (Erythroxylum coca) is a plant in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to north-western South America. The plant plays a significant role in traditional Andean culture. Coca leaves contain many alkaloids including cocaine, which is a powerful stimulant.

I also made a sweet video of the indigenous indians of the Sierra Madre and the gourds of mashed coca leaves that they used.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature3/index.html