What does lye do to aluminum?
Aluminium reacts with lyes to produce hydrogen gas. Since hydrogen is flammable, mixing a large quantity of a lye such as sodium hydroxide with aluminium in a closed container is dangerous—especially when the system is at a high temperature, which speeds up the reaction.
Re:lye question
The aluminum completely dissolves and the water acts here too as an acid (for an analog, see Experiment 4.4. 1). This reaction is used in drain cleaners.
Lye can corrode lots of things like metal, plastic, paint, cloth, and your skin.
When the aluminum foil was added to the lye solution, it started to bubble. It gave off an odor and the bottle became warm. The balloon began to inflate and become warm as well. This is proof that a chemical reaction occurred between the aluminum and the lye solution.
Sulfuric acid dissolves aluminum metal according to the reaction: 2 Al(s) + 3 H2SO4(aq)¡Al2(SO4)3(aq) + 3 H2( g) Suppose you want to dissolve an aluminum block with a mass of 15.2 g.
Lye chemicals are very corrosive and will cause severe burns and tissue damage upon ingestion or dermal or ocular contact. Due to the presence of lye in a variety of household cleaners, the most common route of lye exposure in humans is through accidental spills or ingestion.
You shouldn't use baking soda or an alkali-based cleaner on aluminum. These cause discoloration of the metal.
Muriatic acid, otherwise known as hydrochloric acid, is a common choice for an acid wash. It is reasonably safe for the aluminum and fairly easy to come by.
Tools with exposed edges, like kitchen knives, are especially vulnerable. Vinegar can damage the finish on knives and leave the edge pitted, warns Jim Nanni, head of appliance testing for CR. Other common metals in the kitchen that you should keep away from vinegar include aluminum and copper.
Contact with very high concentrations of sodium hydroxide can cause severe burns to the eyes, skin, digestive system or lungs, resulting in permanent damage or death. Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause dermatitis. Repeated inhalation of sodium hydroxide vapor can lead to permanent lung damage.
Does lye damage stainless steel?
Corrosion resistance of stainless steels
Below 80 oC they can be considered resistant to any concentration of sodium hydroxide, up to the limit of solubility. There can be a risk of stress corrosion cracking, (SCC,) attack at higher temperatures, which is common to both the 304 and 316 types.
NEVER add water to your lye! Doing so can cause the lye to expand, or erupt, out of the container. Use an Appropriate Mixing Container: It's important to mix your lye solution in a durable and safe container. The container should be a sturdy, heat-resistant plastic or glass.
High density polyethylene (HDPE, recycling code #2) and polypropylene (PP, recycling code #5) are best. Containers with these codes have excellent resistance to lye up to the maximum 50% concentration.
Vinegar can neutralize lye, but in doing so it generates heat as a by-product. We don't want that reaction happening anywhere on our counter tops, floors, and definitely not the skin. There are safer ways to neutralize lye spills when making soap, my friend, so read on.
Alkaline solutions especially sodium and potassium hydroxide are corrosive on aluminum and many of its alloys.
So, when Aluminium which is an amphoteric metal reacts with caustic soda it will form sodium aluminate and hydrogen gas is evolved as a result.
But they're very corrosive to pipes (including galvanized steel, copper, and iron) as well as fixtures and fittings. Lye drain cleaners also release heat (as do acid-based products) that softens and deforms plastic pipes.