Phosphoric acid

[sictransit701]

Bought some phosphoric acid from “more beer” website. When it was delivered it had leaked all over everything in the box. I have about 75% of a bottle left. Anyways….it it not labeled very clearly. The brand is brewmaster. It says “Phosphoric Acid 0.1”. What does that mean? There is no percentage on the label. Is this 10%?

 

[MaxStout]

Morebeer sells 10% phosphoric acid. Sure it wasn't that?

0.1% phosphoric is pretty weak for pH adjustments (you'd need a lot of it). If it was 0.1N phosphoric, that's about 3% v/v, but still fairly weak.

BTW, call Morebeer and let them know. They should replace it. Was anything else in the shipment damaged by the leaking acid? If so, tell them.

 

[IslandLizard]

0.1 could mean it's a 10% solution (by weight, usually).
It's the most common dilution sold at homebrew suppliers under various brands/labels.

But to be sure, as @MaxStout said, contact MoreBeer to get the skinny on the actual strength/dilution, and why the bottle isn't labeled properly as such. And uh, not sealed adequately, either.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

call Morebeer and let them know. They should replace it. Was anything else in the shipment damaged by the leaking acid? If so, tell them.

^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^

The suppliers that I work with (including MoreBeer on occasion) are good at 'making it right' if I simply state that the product arrived damaged. In those discussions, I don't attempt to establish responsibility for the problem (shipper? packaging? package?).

 

[DuncB]

My phosphoric acid is 50% concentration. Bought a litre of it, probably should be called a lifetimes rather than a litre.

 

[IslandLizard]

Just for reference...
If you end up using large(r) amounts of Phosphoric Acid, there are alternative sources. Such as 85% concentrate in quart bottles and even gallon jugs at Duda Diesel.
We split a gallon among some club members. Probably a lifetime's worth for each of us.

Or use Lactic Acid.
Typically sold in 4 oz bottles with an 88% solution at homebrew stores.
Some brewers prefer it for adjusting water pH.

Just be very, very careful handling and using strong stock solutions. Wear proper eye and skin protection!
Best to pre-dilute into a more reasonable working strength, like 10%.

 

[DuncB]

Thanks @IslandLizard
I'm very careful with the acids and more so with the bases. Alkali burns are more serious and difficult to manage than acid one.
Yes eye protection is used and I certainly don't need to go stronger than 50%.

I do have some lactic acid which I use in my dry stouts and strangely here it's maxed at 80%.

 

[mac_1103]

MoreBeer sells 10% phosphoric acid in 4 oz bottles and 25% in 1 oz bottles, so the size of the bottle will tell you which one you got.

They also have 75% phosphoric acid in gallon jugs by the case (or 5 gallon buckets), but that's a commercial HAZMAT item that has to ship by freight.

 

[odie]

something in a bottle should be in a sealed bag as a backup...

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

When I ordered my 85% phosphoric acid the bottles were not only wrapped in heavy plastic but also had some absorbant sheets inside the plastic bag to soak up any potential spill, this was from duda diesel as mentioned by @IslandLizard above.

 

[crazyjake19]

My phosphoric acid is 50% concentration. Bought a litre of it, probably should be called a lifetimes rather than a litre.

Back when I switched to all-grain in 2017, I bought a 1-gallon jug of 85% phosphoric. More than a lifetime supply, that's for sure.

 

[crazyjake19]

Just for reference...
If you end up using large(r) amounts of Phosphoric Acid, there are alternative sources. Such as 85% concentrate in quart bottles and even gallon jugs at Duda Diesel.
We split a gallon among some club members. Probably a lifetime's worth for each of us.

How did you handle splitting up the gallon? I bought a gallon in 2017 and I'll never be able to use it up in my lifetime. I was thinking about sharing it with some other all-grain club members, but I wasn't sure of the best method. Mason jars? Or some other small glass bottles maybe.

 

[DuncB]

My Litre bottle is in an HDPE container.
But small glass bottles would work as well.

Not something with a metal lid though.

 

[IslandLizard]

How did you handle splitting up the gallon? I bought a gallon in 2017 and I'll never be able to use it up in my lifetime. I was thinking about sharing it with some other all-grain club members, but I wasn't sure of the best method. Mason jars? Or some other small glass bottles maybe.

I divided it over smaller 1 pint HDPE (#2) bottles, the same material as the gallon jug is made from.
Thick glass bottles would be fine too.

 

[IslandLizard]

I was thinking about sharing it with some other all-grain club members, but I wasn't sure of the best method. Mason jars?

I'd avoid mason jars, as it's really difficult to dispense small amounts from them without spilling, due to the wide mouth.

I only use the 85% "stock" solution to make a much more diluted 10% working solution from. The 10% solution is used in my strike water to end up with the correct mash pH. The 10% solution is easier to dispense from routinely and with a much smaller error margin.

Needless to say, label your chemicals clearly and store in a safe place, so no-one can ever grab or use one by mistake.

 

[hooper]

I used this to convert 85% to 25% which I found easier to use...
The formula for dilutions is: C1 x V1 = C2 x V2
C1 is 85
C2 is 25
Assume that you want 1 liter of final 25% solution (V2)
Solving that equation gives V1 = (C2xV2)/C1
So V1 is 0.294 liters.
Add 0.294 liters of 85% phosphoric to 0.706 liters of distilled water to create 1 Liter of 25% solution