Batman 14 - Preview up!

[espanolbot]

Just posting the alternate cover, so more can go up when the issue is released.



Chemistry-related folk of Scans_daily, does the composition Batman describes exist, and if so is it used for anything specifically?
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=14170

Comments

[darkknightjrk]

On the chemical side, I don't know--but considering some of the knowledge Snyder's laid down in Swamp Thing, I wouldn't be surprised at all if there's at least some sort of chemical shout-out.

Anyway, really looking forward to this--few comics I can think of right now is causing me to have this much of a weird mix of excitement and pure dread.

[cypherfdp]

Watch out, Batman, she's got Mjolnir!

[autohobbs]

I like Harley on this cover, it's the cutest she's been in a while. She seems to have that old "Harley" energy.

[sadoeuphemist]

I'm pretty confused as to what the heck Batman did on those pages. He took out a little handheld rocket thing, pointed it down, and propelled himself upwards and smashed himself through the metal cover? What the heck?

[leoboiko]

I'm no chemist, but wouldn't sodium hydroxide neutralize with sulfuric acid?

[rdfox]

Pretty much. And... lessee, if those are percentages by weight... molecular weight of H2SO4 is 98.072, of NaOH is 39.996... balance the equation... mole fractions... it *should* neutralize all the sulfuric acid (to water and sodium sulfate) with some excess sodium hydroxide left.

The sodium sulfate (Na2SO4), for the record, is nontoxic, though it was used widely as a laxative "until more sophisticated alternatives came about in the 1900s," according to Wiki. The reaction used is the one primarily used in the production of rayon, which sometimes uses ammonia and copper in its synthesis (though that's largely been abandoned for environmental reasons); I can't find any application where zinc sulfide or chromium are used in combination with it.

So I'm guessing it's just a case of Snyder looking through Wiki and pulling a bunch of nasty chemicals out of his ass without doing any research to see how they'd interact if mixed...

ETA: Confirmed by my friend who has a Ph.D. in chemistry and is working in industry; he suspects there might be some side reactions, and the zinc sulfide *would* make it fluoresce under ultraviolet light, but you'd essentially end up with Bats's skin somewhat burnt by the remaining NaOH, and a full Bat-diaper. And there's *no* industrial application that would see that mixture.

[leoboiko]

Thanks, the throughness is appreciated.

[althechi]

What a basic error.

Thangewverymuch, I'll be here all week...

[kurenai_tenka]

Terrified to see what follows the last page of the preview, uugh.