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Bob
4th September 2009, 05:15 PM
So... I decide to tidy up the darkroom and as part of that I start to list all the chemicals I have in the "do not open this box" box.

One such turns out to be the eponymous succinic acid. I have no idea why I bought this. A quick google suggests that it is used in the "Ferrotype process" but as I have none of the other ingredients listed - sodium chloride, silver nitrate and the interestingly named "mucilage of gum arabic" - I doubt that was my intention. But it might have been - perhaps I ran out of mucilage (a dry throat possibly).

Anyone know of any other reason I might have bought succinic acid?

Cheers, Bob.

Bob
4th September 2009, 11:10 PM
OK - I think I answered my own question...

Succinic acid is also called tartaric acid and is used in one formulation of iron-blue toner I found. I remember wanting to make my own blue toner and I have the other chems in stock too ;) - see Jackspcs (http://www.jackspcs.com/ibt.htm).


Hmmmm, any chemists out there willing to take a punt on the possibility of using citric acid rather than succinic/tartaric (I note other formulae use sulphuric or acetic ) and at what likely concentration???

Akki14
5th September 2009, 01:45 PM
One such turns out to be the eponymous succinic acid. I have no idea why I bought this. A quick google suggests that it is used in the "Ferrotype process" but as I have none of the other ingredients listed - sodium chloride, silver nitrate and the interestingly named "mucilage of gum arabic" - I doubt that was my intention. But it might have been - perhaps I ran out of mucilage (a dry throat possibly).

Hm Strangely, I have salt, silver nitrate and what I guess is mucilage of gum arabic (eg gum arabic in solution I assume. It is a bit on the mucilage-side I suppose...
Don't have any succinic acid though.