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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;-jeffB, post: 1929437, member: 27832&quot;]Well, but ferric chloride (the active ingredient in Nic-a-date) <i>is</i> an acid, and also an oxidant. That&#039;s how it can attack copper, which isn&#039;t active enough to be attacked by simple acids (technically, it won&#039;t displace hydrogen) the way nickel is. It etches both nickel and copper.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vinegar <i>preferentially</i> attacks nickel, since nickel is more chemically active, but it affects both metals.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flushing copper down the drain isn&#039;t good (nickel either), but on the scale of ecological sins it&#039;s kind of low. After all, you can still buy root killer (pure copper sulfate) in any hardware or garden store. The amount of ionic copper and nickel you produce restoring nickels is really, really tiny; neutralizing it is polite, but not critical. (Besides, I&#039;m not sure how well it stays neutralized. Depends on how they&#039;re treating your wastewater, not to mention what chases it down the drain.)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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