Environmental Health and Safety Office

Hazard Alert (03-002)

USING MIXTURES OF HIGHLY CORROSIVE CONCENTRATED ACIDS

Ex: AQUA REGIA and Piranha Solution
There have been accidents involving the use of aqua regia and Piranha Solution. In one incident, a graduate student at
the University of Manitoba used an etching solution of aqua regia and glycerol for electro-polishing a nickel superalloy.
Only a portion of the solution was used after preparation, the remainder was stored in a capped plastic bottle inside a
fume hood. Within 45 minutes, the bottle burst, spewing the contents everywhere, damaging computer equipment nearby
and filling the room with acid fumes. Fortunately there were no injuries. (No one was in the room when the container
failed.) In another similar incident, this one occurring in September 1998 in an Ontario University (http://www.uwo.ca/ohs/
hazalerts/aquareg.htm), a graduate student was using aqua regia for the cleaning of NMR tubes. After finishing with the
material, he placed the waste aqua regia, about 50-60 ml, in a 4L Winchester bottle, capping it tightly and storing it in a
flammable solvent storage cabinet prior to disposal. About an hour later it exploded, filling the lab with acid fumes. A
nearby bottle of pyridine broke and leaked onto the floor. It dissolved floor tiles and
created a lingering bad smell.
Aqua regia is a mixture of concentrated hydrochloric acid and concentrated nitric acid. It
has been used for centuries for dissolving noble metals (gold, platinum). Piranha Solution
is a mixture of concentrated sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Aqua regia and Piranha
solution are highly corrosive and very powerful oxidizing agents. Even without other
materials present, a slow chemical reaction occurs in aqua regia and brown fumes of
nitrogen peroxide are produced. The activity of Aqua Regia as a dissolving agent
decreases slowly and thus, by definition, the solution is unstable. Aqua Regia should be
freshly prepared, never stored in a closed vessel. Render it safe by dilution and
neutralization.
The following are proper procedures for handling and using highly corrosive
concentrated acids such as Aqua Regia and Piranha Solution.
1. These acids should only be prepared and used when absolutely necessary. If a
milder reagent will work, try to avoid using aqua regia and like. Aqua regia and
Piranha solution are not recommended for routine cleaning of glassware.
2. When using highly corrosive acids, wear appropriate personal protective equipment (safety splash goggles,
gloves and laboratory coat) and work in a clean, properly working chemical fume hood. Keep the fume hood’s
sash down at working height (usually 11 inches) when reactions are in progress. Leave the sash closed if the hood is
unattended. It is essential that any one working with such corrosives has unimpeded access to an emergency eye
wash and safety shower. These must be within 100 feet of the work area.
3. Prepare only the amount needed for immediate use. Label container as per WHMIS procedures. Never store
mixtures of highly corrosive acids and never put it in a sealed container, since pressure from evolving gases
accumulates and possibly cause an explosion. Never take these acids out of the fume hood in which they are
prepared and do not store them there either. Use them immediately after preparation and destroy any excess in the
fume hood in which they were prepared. Aqua regia can be destroyed safely by cautiously adding it to water to
dilute, and then neutralize the diluted solution with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). The resulting contents can be
disposed as chemical laboratory waste through EHSO Hazardous Waste Program (474-6633). A box or two of
ordinary sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) or other commercial spill kits should be nearby to effectively neutralize
acid spills.
4. For any solutions containing aqua regia such as the etching solution mentioned in the beginning, follow the same
principles as outlined above. You can avoid accidents by adhering to the principles and getting specific instructions
from your supervisor before handling aqua regia or other potentially hazardous reagents.
5. The aqua regia container must be glass or plastic. Although cold aqua regia does not rapidly attack plastics, Teflon is
the only plastic truly resistant to oxidizing action of hot aqua regia. The container must be open or vented to allow the
escape of chlorine, which is produced slowly.
Main Office Bannatyne Office
191 Frank Kennedy Building T248 – 249 Basic Science Building
Winnipeg MB R3T 2N2 Winnipeg MB R3E 0W3
Tel: (204) 474-6633 Tel: (204) 789-3613
Fax: (204) 474-7629 Fax: (204) 789-3906