I got some concentrated H2SO4 on my lab coat on monday and when I left the lab there was only a brown stain on the lab coat so I put it in my locker. The next day I noticed an acid burn on my t-shirt, obviously caused by some acid that seeped through the lab coat. I can't walk into the lab next monday with a bit acid burn on my lab coat so if its burned I'm gonna have to get a new one. Is it likely that there will be a hole burned through the lab coat by now or are lab coats more acid resistant than the average t-shirt?
In my experience, conc. H2SO4 will eat away at lab-coats. They are usually just thick, absorbent cotton and the acid will attack the cellulose in the fibres. It is likely you will end up with a hole even if you were to neutralize it with, say, 5M NaOH. Ithink after all this time it is destined for the dustbin. I would say it's a salutary warning to those that sometimes neglect to wear one, never a good idea.
This lab coat is 65% polyester, 35% cotton. Would that make much of a difference? Yeah if I was wearing just the t-shirt, I'd probably have a nice acid burn on my stomach right now.
I got a drop of acid on my khaki pants once. Didn't burn a hole right away. But after I washed it ... there it was ... a neatly made circular hole. I've been told that iron-on patches can solve the problem?
I think you will find it will still cause a hole, especially if it was over, say 2M & you didn't dilute it soon after the incident. They don't appear straight away usually as Eddanco says, but expect one sooner or later. Good lab-coats are not too expensive though, and I hate them when they are all shiny and new..They never look right till you've got them covered in some nice stains and a bit of leaky biro!
I've never had much luck with diluting or neutralizing the acid after it's on the fabric. A few times I tried washing the affected area with carbonate solution, but the hole always appeared anyway.
