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Diluting Lye Safely

Name: Sari
Status: student
Grade: 9-12
Location: IL
Country: USA
Date: Spring 2009

Question:
I have been trying to nd some information on lye. My class
made soap on a small scale but we are now trying to make it
on a larger scale. Part of the saponication process is mixing
lye in distilled water. When we did this on the small scale, there
were no noticeable odor or fumes. When we did it on a larger
scale, some people claimed to smell something and saw
fumes upon mixing the two. Assuming that the ratio of lye to
water was proportional, were the odor and fumes the
appropriate signs of the reaction? If so, is it dangerous for
anyone to be around these fumes? Also, besides not standing
directly over the beaker and breathing in the fumes, are there
any safety precautions that we can take to ensure that no one
is hurt?

Replies:
Lye is also known as caustic soda or Sodium Hydroxide. Its
chemical formula is NaOH.

Caustic Soda dissolving in water is an extremely exothermic

reaction - a great deal of heat is generated as the Caustic Soda
is separated into its component ions On a small scale this
means that the water will get warmer. On a larger scale enough
heat can be generated to cause the water to boil - and this can
be extremely dangerous.
When dissolving NaOH in water the following precautions
should be observed to minimise the risk of boiling the solution.
Have Sodium Bicarbonate or vinegar available on hand to
neutralise spills. Use a large container with a wide mouth - (I
prefer one that would seem to be too large - e.g. a 2 litre
container to mix 500mls. The wide mouth prevents the
fountain effect in case you do boil the mixture.)
Use cool water - just less than body temperature - never hot or
cold. Always add flakes to the water - never the other way
around. Add the NaOH flakes a little at a time and stir at every
step. DO NOT add all the flakes at once.
Be aware of the temperature of the mix - if the mix become hot
then allow to cool before proceeding further. Caustic Soda is
extremely corrosive. It should be regarded as more dangerous
than most acid solutions.
If Caustic Soda is splashed or spilled on skin or eyes, wash
with copious amounts of water - up to 30 minutes may be
necessary for strong solutions.
The fumes can also be dangerous. If inhaled they can cause
irritation of mucous membranes, or burns in the case of strong
exposure. Always mix this in a hood with proper safety
protection including goggles, apron, and gloves.
As a laboratory technician I am regularly called upon to mix
chemicals and prepare solutions. I regard Caustic Soda as one
of the most hazardous chemicals in the school store. A
solution of caustic Soda will do signicantly more damage to
your skin than a similar solution of most acids - even
hydrochloric. Just as it turns your lamb fat or olive oil into
soap, it will convert the oils in your skin and the fats under the
skin into soap - and that will result in major damage, not just in
the immediate area of the spill, but in surrounding tissues as
well. Please treat Caustic soda as extremely dangerous.
Nigel Skelton

Australia
Sari,
Lye is sodium hydroxide or caustic soda. When it dissolves in
water the energy released from the hydration of the Na+ and
OH- ions heats up the solution. Although this may not boil the
water as a whole the local heating around the dissolving NaOH
can cause caustic fumes that irritate the lungs and throat if
inhaled or can seriously damage the eyes if you get spray in
them.
There are a couple of ways to avoid this. Firstly: add the NaOH
(either a solid or a concentrated solution) to the water, not the
other way around. Secondly: you can use ice/water mix instead
of water or place the flask containing the water in an ice/salt
bath to keep it really cold. Finally: there is no substitute for a
fume hood, I always make up NaOH solutions in the hood, sash
down with safety spectacles, lab coat and gloves on.
NaOH is one of the most common chemicals in the lab, but it is
also responsible for some of the worst incidents. Please be
careful when using it: NaOH in the eyes poses a real risk of
serious eye damage. To be honest, making up of NaOH
solutions from solid is best performed by your teacher or a
qualied chemist.
Best wishes
Tom Collins
Sari,
Let us assume you are working with solid NaOH. Dissolving
NaOH in water is an exothermic process. The solution's
temperature increases. If a student puts too much NaOH into
too little water, the temperature can rise to the point where
some of the solution begins to evaporate. I suspect your team
mates have been observing this process. To avoid repeats, just
add the NaOH more slowly into a larger volume of water.
All team members involved at the lab station should be
wearing goggles and gloves. If aprons are available in your lab,
put them on. It is best to use a hood. Be sure to clean up any
spills/spatters with lots of water and baking soda.

Warren Young
One of the most dangerous aspects of diluting lye, which is
Sodium Hydroxide (also called NaOH) is that it generates lots
of heat. I have seen the dilution generate enough heat to melt
through the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket and cause a
dangerous spill.
The fumes you saw were probably related to the heat causing
some rapid evaporation and generation of vapors.
There are many safety precautions that you need to take. First
is the use of protective eyewear, gloves, and aprons for
everyone handling the materials. Second, perform the dilution
(and all chemical reactions) in a well ventilated area. Opening
doors and windows is good, but performing reactions in a hood
or outside when possible is much better. Third, to mitigate the
heat problem, dilute the lye into the water a little bit at a time,
letting it cool between each addition. Another method would be
to start the dilution in ice water or to put the reaction vessel
into an ice bath.
Ian Farrell
You did not indicate quantitatively what "small" and "large"
scales were. Chemical processes often do not scale up linearly,
as you discovered. Sodium hydroxide (lye) reacts vigorously
with water generating a large amount of heat. Here are some
precautions to take:
1. Full face shield (Looks like a welder's face shield, but clear
and colorless. Available from any chemical equipment vendor.)
2. Do the experiment in a fume hood.
3. Have sodium bicarbonate on hand to neutralize any spills.
4. Use heavy duty nitrile rubber gloves and a full length rubber
apron.
5. Use an ice bath to minimize the temperature rise.
6. Add the sodium hydroxide to the cold water slowly with
continuous stirring.
7. Do NOT use any aluminum tools, etc. Aluminum reacts

vigorously with sodium hydroxide. One of the reaction

products is flammable hydrogen gas.
8. The odor you detected comes from tiny droplets of water
containing some sodium hydroxide. This is a warning that the
temperature is too high. That is, the addition of NaOH is too
fast. Obviously, inhaling these droplets is not a good idea.
9. Ask yourself, "Is a large batch of this reagent really
necessary?" If you cannot nd a really valid reason, stick to the
small batches. Lye is a dangerous chemical. I assume yours is
a chemistry class. Are your students sufciently prepared to
handle such corrosive chemicals? There are of course legal
liability issues.
10. The mist generated by mixing lye and water should be your
"warning bell" that "new" things can start to happen when you
"scale up" a chemical process.
11. My bottom line recommendation is not to try a large batch.
Too many nasty possibilities can be lurking in the shadows.
12. A unit on the safe handling of toxic and/or corrosive
chemicals might be a better lesson.
But do not actually use a toxic and/or corrosive chemical.
Vince Calder
The main issue you will run into in scaling up any reaction is
that the energy involved in carrying out the reaction, such as
heat produced, is proportional to the mass of the reacting
materials. The surface area of the reaction, through which
energy is transferred to or from the surroundings, is usually
proportional to the 2/3 power of the mass of the reacting
materials. This means that when the reaction is carried out on
a larger scale, it does not transfer energy to the surroundings
as quickly. If the reaction produces heat, it will tend to get
hotter (attain a higher temperature) at large scale for this
reason.
Dissolving lye in water releases much heat. When the reaction
is scaled up, it gets even hotter. Most likely, what your students
observed was a mist of lye solution in the air, produced by the
heat from the lye solution.
These fumes are dangerous, because lye in water is

dangerous. Their chief hazards will be from inhalation and eye

contact, with some possibility of injury from skin contact as
well. If the dilution is carried out slowly, so that the temperature
of the solution is minimized, the hazards will be slight. If you
are concerned, covering the vessel with a watch glass (or even
a piece of paper or cardboard) will reduce exposure to the mist.
Carrying out the dilution in a fume hood will provide even
greater protection, but may be difcult logistically.
Richard Barrans, Ph.D., M.Ed.
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Wyoming

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