eli5: how does sulphuric acid melt stuff?
In: Chemistry
Chemistry!
Think about rust. If you leave something made of iron or steel out long enough, it will start to rust. This rusting is a result of oxygen in the air reacting with the iron to create iron oxide, rust. That oxygen is combining with the iron, and becoming solid, changing states.
When sulfuric acid, and many other acids for that matter, react with a material it will commonly cause that material to break apart. The acid attacks the bonds holding the solid together and often causes it change states to a liquid. For a more exact explanation you’d have to look at what material were combining and with what acid. some materials are non reactive to sulfuric acid and so wont melt.
It reacts with the material, and converts it to something different, which depending on what happens exactly can look like melting.
It can only react with certain materials, that’s why nothing happens with glass or many plastics.
For things like cotton the reaction is a bit like burning, and you end up with (black stained) holes, where the acid could react with the cotton.
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