On Fri, 22 Jun 2012 06:56:31 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

On Thursday, June 21, 2012 4:26:30 PM UTC-6, EXT wrote:
wrote in message
Elle wrote
I bought some muriatic acid, diluted it to about 5%, and tried it outside
first. I neutralized (hopefully) with a bit of diluted bleach.

Neutralizing an ACID with BLEACH????
You gotta be NUTS!!!! You neutralize acid with something like baking
soda or lime. NOT SODIUM HYPERCHLORITE!!!

See http://www.somay.com/floor/concrete-...eparation.html. See steps 3 and 4.

Muriatic acid and bleach releases chlorine gas, (world war one mustard gas)

I agree one must be careful with the acid and bleach. There is more to mustard gas than what you say above.

which will destroy your lungs and can kill you. You neutralize acid with a
base.

Clorox is a base with a pH of about 13. It neutralizes an acid.

Yes, it neutralizes the acid - but what does the acid do to the
bleach? It causes it to break down, releasing CHLORINE (which is
different than mustard gas (made using sulphur dichloride and
ethyelene)) Depending what acid is used, Sulphur Dioxide can also be
produced -or hypochlorous acid, - or even thionoyl Chloride.

I appreciate the cautions both of you offer, but FWIW to readers, I think the two of you are overstating the case a bit.

I'd rather overstate the case a bit than see someone suffer the rest
of their life with lung problems - a life which may also be
significantly shorter than normal.