If a few drops of a concentrated acid accidentally spills over the hand of a student, what should be done?
(A) Wash the hand with saline solution
(B) Wash the hand immediately with plenty of water and apply a paste of sodium hydrogen carbonate
(C) After washing with plenty of water apply solution of sodium hydroxide on the hand
(D) Neutralise the acid with a strong alkali
Answer
In order to avoid burning caused by concentrated acid,
- we wash the hand immediately with plenty of water
- and then, in order to neutralize the acid , we apply a paste sodium hydrogen carbonate
Here
- Water will dilute the acid and wash it out.
- And the diluted acid will be neutralised by a weak base like sodium hydrogen carbonate
We don’t use a strong base like sodium hydroxide because Strong Acid + Strong Base is a highly exothermic reaction and will cause further burns.
So, the correct answer is
(b)
