A corrosive substance is one that will destroy or irreversibly damage another substance with which it comes in contact. The main hazards to people include damage to eyes, skin and tissue under the skin, but inhalation or ingestion of a corrosive substance can damage the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts.

A low concentration of a corrosive substance is usually an irritant. Irritation or exacerbation, in Biology and Physiology, is a state of Inflammation or painful reaction to Allergy or cell-lining damage Corrosion of non-living surfaces such as metals is a distinct process. Corrosion means the breaking down of essential properties in a material due to Chemical reactions with its surroundings For example, a water/air electrochemical cell corrodes iron to rust. Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 Rust is a general term for a series of Iron oxides, usually red oxides formed by the reaction of Iron with Oxygen in the presence of water or air In the Globally Harmonized System, both rapid corrosion of metals and chemical corrosion of skin qualify for the "corrosive" symbol. The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals or GHS is an internationally agreed upon system set to replace the various different classification Corrosion means the breaking down of essential properties in a material due to Chemical reactions with its surroundings

Common corrosives are strong acids and strong bases, or concentrated solutions of certain weak acids and weak bases. A Strong acid is an Acid that Ionizes completely in an Aqueous solution (not in the case of Sulfuric acid as it is diprotic In Chemistry, a base is most commonly thought of as an aqueous substance that can accept Protons This refers to the Brønsted-Lowry theory of acids and A weak acid is an Acid that does not completely donate all of its hydrogens when dissolved in water In chemistry a weak base is a Chemical base that does not Ionize fully in an Aqueous solution. Their action on living tissue is based on acid-base catalysis of ester and amide hydrolysis. In acid catalysis and base catalysis a Chemical reaction is catalyzed by an Acid or a base. Both corrosive acids and corrosive bases are able to defat skin by catalyzing the hydrolysis of fats, which are chemically esters). Esters are a class of Chemical compounds and Functional groups Esters consist of an inorganic or organic Acid in which at least Proteins are chemically amides, which can also be hydrolyzed by acid-base catalysis. In Chemistry, an amide is one of three kinds of Compounds (sometimes called acid amide the organic Functional group characterized Strong acids and bases denature proteins and also hydrate easily. Denaturation is a process in which Proteins or Nucleic acids lose their structure (tertiary structure by application of some external stress or compound for Hydration removes water from the tissue and is significantly exothermic. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Thermodynamics, the word exothermic "outside heating" describes a process or reaction that releases Energy usually in the form of Heat, but For example, concentrated sulfuric acid causes thermal burns in addition to chemical burns. Sulfuric (or sulphuric acid, H 2 S[[oxygen O]]4 is a strong Mineral acid. Strong oxidizing agents, such as concentrated hydrogen peroxide, can also be corrosive to tissues and other materials, even when the pH is close to neutral. An oxidizing agent or oxidising agent (also called an oxidant, oxidizer or oxidiser) can be defined as either a Chemical compound Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 is a very pale blue liquid which appears colorless in a dilute solution slightly more Viscous than water Nitric acid is an example of a strong acid that is also a strong oxidizer, making it significantly more corrosive than one would expect from its pKa alone. Nitric acid ( H[[nitrate NO3]] also known as Aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosive and

There are also more specific corrosives. Hydrofluoric acid, for example, is initially painless but easily permeates tissue to selectively attack bone, making it extremely hazardous to work with. Hydrofluoric acid is a Solution of Hydrogen fluoride in Water. It is technically a weak acid, but it produces fluoride ion (the real corrosive species) after the acid is painlessly absorbed. Although zinc chloride solutions are also regularly acidic (by the Brønsted definition), the zinc cation also specifically attacks hydroxyl groups as a Lewis acid. Zinc chloride is the name of Chemical compound with the formula Zn[[chlorine Cl]]2 and its hydrates In Computer science, ACID ( Atomicity Consistency Isolation Durability) is a set of properties that guarantee that Database transactions are This explains the ability of zinc chloride solutions to react with cellulose and corrode through paper and silk. Cellulose is an Organic compound with the formula, a Polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β(1→4

The word 'corrosion' is derived from the latin verb corrode which means 'to gnaw' indicating how these substance seem to 'gnaw' their way through the flesh.

Sometimes the word 'caustic' is used as a synonym, but by convention it generally refers only to strong bases as opposed to acids, oxidizers, or other non-alkaline corrosives.

Corrosive substances

Common corrosive chemicals are classified into:

• Acids

• Strong acids — the most common are sulfuric acid, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid (H₂SO₄, HNO₃ and HCl, respectively). In Computer science, ACID ( Atomicity Consistency Isolation Durability) is a set of properties that guarantee that Database transactions are A Strong acid is an Acid that Ionizes completely in an Aqueous solution (not in the case of Sulfuric acid as it is diprotic Sulfuric (or sulphuric acid, H 2 S[[oxygen O]]4 is a strong Mineral acid. Nitric acid ( H[[nitrate NO3]] also known as Aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosive and Hydrochloric acid is the Solution of Hydrogen chloride ( H[[Chlorine Cl]] in water
• Some concentrated weak acids, for example acetic acid
• Solutions of Lewis acids with specific reactivity, e. A weak acid is an Acid that does not completely donate all of its hydrogens when dissolved in water Acetic acid, also known as ethanoic acid, is an organic chemical compound, giving Vinegar its sour taste g. solutions of zinc chloride

• Bases

• Caustics or alkalis, such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH)
• Alkali metals in the metallic form (e. Zinc chloride is the name of Chemical compound with the formula Zn[[chlorine Cl]]2 and its hydrates In Chemistry, a base is most commonly thought of as an aqueous substance that can accept Protons This refers to the Brønsted-Lowry theory of acids and Sodium hydroxide ( Na[[hydroxide OH]]) also known as Lye, caustic soda and (incorrectly according to IUPAC nomenclature Potassium hydroxide is the Inorganic compound with the formula K[[hydroxide OH]] Trends The alkali metals show a number of trends when moving down the group - for instance decreasing electronegativity increasing reactivity and decreasing melting and boiling g. elemental sodium) and hydrides of alkali and alkaline earth metals hydrate to give caustics
• Some concentrated weak bases, such as ammonia when anhydrous or in a concentrated solution

• Dehydrating agents such as phosphorus pentoxide, calcium oxide, anhydrous zinc chloride, also elemental alkali metals
• Strong oxidizers such as concentrated hydrogen peroxide
• Electrophilic halogens: elemental fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine, and electrophilic salts such as sodium hypochlorite or N-chloro compounds such as chloramine-T^[1]; halide ions are not corrosive
• Organic halides and organic acid halides such as acetyl chloride and benzyl chloroformate
• Acid anhydrides
• Some organic materials such as phenol ("carbolic acid")

• Extremely electrophilic reagents such as dimethyl sulfate

References

Sodium (ˈsoʊdiəm is an element which has the symbol Na( Latin natrium, from Arabic natrun) atomic number 11 atomic mass 22 Biological occurrences Beryllium's low aqueous solubility means it is rarely available to biological systems it has no known role in living organisms and when encountered Ammonia is a compound with the formula N[[hydrogen H3]] It is normally encountered as a Gas with a characteristic pungent Odor Phosphorus pentoxide is a Chemical compound with formula P 2 O 5 Calcium oxide ( CaO) commonly known as burnt lime, lime or quicklime, is a widely used Chemical compound. Zinc chloride is the name of Chemical compound with the formula Zn[[chlorine Cl]]2 and its hydrates Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 is a very pale blue liquid which appears colorless in a dilute solution slightly more Viscous than water Abundance Owing to their high Reactivity, the halogens are found in the environment only in compounds or as Ions Halide ions and oxoanions Fluorine, fluorum meaning "to flow" is the Chemical element with the symbol F and Atomic number 9 Chlorine (ˈklɔriːn from the Greek word 'χλωρóς' ( khlôros, meaning 'pale green' is the Chemical element with Atomic number 17 and Iodine (ˈaɪədaɪn ˈaɪədɪn or /ˈaɪədiːn/ from ιώδης iodes "violet" is a Chemical element that has the symbol I and Atomic Sodium hypochlorite is a Chemical compound with the formula NaClO N -chloro tosylamide sodium salt sold as chloramine-T, is a N - chlorinated and N - deprotonated A halide is a Binary compound, of which one part is a Halogen Atom and the other part is an element or radical that is less Acetyl chloride, also known as ethanoyl chloride, is an Acid chloride (also known as an Acyl chloride) derived from Acetic acid ( Ethanoic Benzyl chloroformate is the Benzyl Ester of Chloroformic acid. In Chemistry, an anhydride is a compound that can be considered as derived from another compound by subtracting the molecules of water. Phenol, is a toxic colourless Crystalline Solid with a sweet tarry odor commonly referred to as a "hospital smell" Dimethyl sulfate is a Chemical compound with formula (CH3O2SO2

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic