Science Teacher pours acid down his skin without any harm--how is this possible?

Question

I saw this on TV years ago. News story about a high school science teacher who awoke one morning from a 'prophetic' dream. He proceeded to pour concentrated acid down his arm and experienced....nothing! It was as if he was pouring plain water. As the acid dripped from his skin onto some metal it began to bubble and dissolve the metal right away. Was this for real?

Answer 1

He probably covered his arm in a basic solution, so his skin wouldn't burn off. Acids neutralize bases.

Answer 2

Probably nothing more than a parlor trick.  I've never tried to do it, but I can think of four ways to this without damage off the top of my head:

1. Pour the acid onto bare skin, but make sure it immediately drips off onto the metal.  If the acid isn't in continuous contact with a single spot of skin for enough time, a reaction won't be able to begin (chemists do something similar with dry ice, you hold it in your bare palm but keep tossing or bouncing it up an inch or two so it spends more time in the air than on your skin--no freezer burn).

2. Coat the arm with a thin layer of transparent wax.  The wax is hydrophobic so the aqueous solution of acid won't be able to penetrate and start dissolving it, so it drips off.

3. Use an acid that corrodes metal but not flesh.  I don't know if there are any acids that fit this description, but since skin and metal aren't the exact same thing it's at least conceivable.

4.  Use something that isn't metal, but looks like metal.  If you could get a salt or something that looked like a grayish metal, and then poured water on it.  If you used vinegar instead of water, there could easily be color deformation, which would give the appearance of corrosion, and baking soda would make it bubble a bit.

Answer 3

Well, I never saw it myself.

Now, I am a skeptic so I kinda cringe at the word 'prophetic', and I have a bit of a problem with the story in general.  TV news is not known for heavy fact checking when it comes to stories like these.  Give me someone who tries that under controlled conditions and I'll believe it.  Unfortunately there are simply too many ways to fake the events that you are describing.  Was it really concentrated acid?  Was his arm really bare?  I mean if you ever watch a comic / magician called "The Amazing Jonathan", he pours "acid" into his mouth.  We know that's not for real because he's a magician, so why do we trust a high school teacher under uncontrolled conditions?

Cheers

Answer 4

Hard to believe State your reference to prove me if I'm wrong

Answer 5

what you saw may not have been a acidic reaction but a chemical one.

if you pour pure liquid oxygen on a iron plate it will eat a hole right through it fairly quickly. I would not pour liquid oxygen on my arm but there are lots of other metals like aluminum and magnesium that will react with chemicals other than acid that is probably what it was

Answer 6

Awesome party trick.

use almost frozen lemonade. will not burn your skin but when it hits the metal it will fizz. tell someone its acid why wouldn't they believe you? especially if it is a science teacher demonstrating!

Answer 7

if it was still acidic when it hit the metal he probably didnt titrate it with a base, i would guess he covered his arm with was or something.

Answer 8

Some acids do no harm to skin, so there is no need for parlor tricks :-))

Conc sulfuric (H2SO4) and nitric (HNO3) are examples of those which DO...cause severe burns.

But conc hydrodrochloric (HCl) does not harm (whole) skin...though it can sting at a scrape or wound, wherever skin is broken. When it drips onto a metal such as aluminum, hydrogen is evolved...6HCl + 2Al ---> 3H2 + 2AlCl3...so you see bubbles and the metal dissolving.

Conc solns of some organic acids (eg citric) will do the same...cause no harm but react with Al, though at a much slower rate.