Re: Technical Grade Muriatic Acid

----- Original Message -----
From: "Christina Z. Anderson" <zphoto@montana.net>
To: "Alt list" <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
Sent: Sunday, October 09, 2005 8:35 PM
Subject: Re: Technical Grade Muriatic Acid

> Agreed, Richard.
> I have in my possession sulfuric, phosphoric, and nitric
> acid (aside from glacial acetic). I have been cleaning
> out my chems and my darkroom this weekend in order to set
> it up, and I am a bit leery of these three...I am thinking
> of disposing of them at the chemistry lab at the college,
> because in all that I do alt process, I have not needed
> them as I thought I might. They were called for in some
> old mordancage formulae, or dye mordanting, too...although
> I notice that they are used sometimes in pt/pd or
> something???
>
> Do any of you keep this stuff on hand and, if so, for what
> process? I am not making aqua regia...
>
> The only one in plastic is phosphoric, otherwise both in
> glass. I got them from Tri Ess which is now defunct, so I
> hate to dispose of them if I may need them for some
> distant future process.
> Chris

 Glacial acetic is relatively weak, at least compared to the
others. I use it to make stop bath because it is a lot more
economical than buying stop bath concentrate, which is
either 28% or 50% acetic. I would not dispose of it.
Sulfuric is useful for making up dichromate bleaches (or
tray cleaner). Concentrated Sulfuric definitely needs to be
handeled with great care. I don't know what uses the others
have in conventional photography. I've seen one obscure
toner formula that prescribed Nitric. If you don't use them
its probably best not to have them stored.

---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com