History Main / PoisonIsCorrosive

* Cassiopeia from ''{League of Legends}'' has an ability called Miasma, which creates a circular pool of poison. It damages anything that walks over it, including robotic entities.

* Cassiopeia from ''{League of Legends}'' has an ability called Miasma, which creates a circular pool of poison. It damages anything that walks over it, including robotic entities.

* In ''[[{{Asterix}} Asterix and Cleopatra]]'', the poisonous cake make by Artefis is so toxic that the batter AteTheSpoon - before he added the acid.

[[folder:Tabletop [=RPGs=]]]

** 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual. The Eyewing weeps an acidic, poison fluid from its 4 foot wide eye.

[[folder:Tabletop RPGs]]

!!Examples:

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* ''OnePiece'' has several examples of this, most notably [[spoiler: Magellan]], whose powers allow him to create any type of poison he pleases, especially the corrosive variety.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* In ''TheRock'', we see what [=VX2=] does to bare skin. One thing that's not addressed is how atropine can counter a blister agent. [[hottip:*:In RealLife, Atropine is a counter for VX, but VX is not a blister agent but, as stated, a frakking neurotoxin.]]

[[folder: Literature ]]
* ''HarryPotter'': Poison from the Basilisk's fangs was a corrosive substance. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] since the delivery method is through a bite.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* The nerve gas in Season 5 of ''[[TwentyFour 24]]'' could eat through door seals. Handwaved in that the nerve gas was mixed with a corrosive element.

[[folder: Tabletop RPG ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* ''{{Pokemon}}'' plays with this. While moves such as Acid are classified as [[PoisonousPerson Poison]][[ElementalPowers -type attacks]], they are among the only Poison attacks that don't have a chance of poisoning the opponent. But [[DishingOutDirt Ground- and Rock-type Pokémon]] resist Poison-type attacks (Poison-type Pokémon are also weak to Ground-type attacks), and [[ExtraOreDinary Steel-types]] are completely immune to Poison.

* "Toxic Waste" in ''[[LEGOAdaptationGame LEGO Batman]]''. Instakills everyone who steps in it, except for a few specific characters with immunity to poisons[[hottip:*:Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, Bane, Killer Croc and TheJoker.]].

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* Hydrofluoric acid is very corrosive and highly. It can diffuse through skin and spread fluorine around, creating all kinds of havoc -- mainly by precipitation of calcium fluoride. It gets the calcium from your bones. In other words, it melts your bones from the inside out.

* ''{{Pokemon}}'' is a bit iffy. While acid attacks are classified as poison attacks, they are almost the only poison attacks that don't have a chance of poisoning the opponent. And therefore steel-types are immune to acid.

* in ''LeScorpion'', Several of MasterPoisoner Mejai's poisons are shown to be acidic. Armando uses one to burn through the ropes holding him at one point.

* In the TV version of ''[=~The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy~=]'', the sequence demonstrating the effect of drinking a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster ends with a close-up of the stuff, having been spilled when the drinkers succumbed to unconsciousness, eating a hole in the floor.

** Demons can have a poisonous bite which is also highly caustic. It has the same effect on healing/regeneration as the Envenom spell.

** Demons can can have a poisonous bite which is also highly caustic. It has the same effect on healing/regeneration as the Envenom spell.

* ''{{Amber}} Diceless Role-Playing'', ''Shadow Knight'' supplement. The standard form of the Envenom spell is a poisonous acid that prevents rapid healing and regeneration of wounds.

* ''MurderByDeath''. One of the glasses of wine is poisoned. When poured onto a cloth napkin, it burns holes through it.

The villain lobs an attack at the hero. The hero dodges, but sees the rock the attack hit start to dissolve. *gasp* It's poison!

This also tends to happen with {{Gargle Blaster}}s, despite them being usually non-lethal.

Funnily enough, this actually has some TruthInTelevision. If a liquid is hightly corrosive, taking it into your system and sometimes even touching it with bare skin is usually a very bad idea. Opposite, however, is not the case. There are many, many poisons, that are either quite inert or simply so effective, that even traces hardly detectable by modern labs are completly lethal.

Compare AteTheSpoon and HollywoodAcid.

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

* ''{{One Piece}}'' has several examples of this, most notably [[spoiler: Magellan]], whose powers allow him to create any type of poison he pleases, especially the corrosive variety.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

* In ''TheRock'', we see what [=VX2=] does to bare skin. One thing that's not addressed is how atropine can counter a blister agent.
** TheyJustDidntCare. Atropine is a counter for VX, but VX is not a blister agent but, as stated, a frakking neurotoxin.

* Occurred in ''{{The Dark Knight}}''; when the commissioner's poisoned highball glass gets knocked over it starts eating a hole through his desk.
** To be fair, it doesn't seem as if it was supposed to be poison, rather acid was actually mixed into his liquor. And why not-esophageal chemical burns would make for a horrendous way to die that would create the desired dramatic instant choking effect.
*** That's assuming he's dumb enough to swallow something burning the inside of his mouth.
*** Or something that would, by definition, taste and smell either incredibly sour (if acidic) or intensely bitter (if alkaline).
**** It depends on what he was drinking, really.

* It's not precisely poisonous, but in ''ThePagemaster'' [[TheStrangeCaseOfDoctorJekyllAndMrHyde Dr. Jekyll's]] mysterious potion can burn a hole in a table.

* The poisoned robe in the ''PrinceOfPersia'' movie somehow manages to corrode its wearer's flesh [[spoiler:as well as the hands of the poisoner]], but somehow not its own cloth or the cloth it's wrapped in when presented to the victim.
** It could have reacted with sweat, as crystal meth does in real life.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

* {{Discworld}} plays with this a lot, but most noticably in ''Discworld/InterestingTimes''.

* In the ''HumanxCommonwealth'' series, Alaspinian minidrags spit an incredibly potent neurotoxin that has been shown to eat through metal. It's justified in that minidrags have no teeth, so they rely on their toxin's corrosive properties to get it into the bloodstreams of their enemies.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

* ''MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' did this a lot when a poison attack was used on the Megazord. It could also shock, as Scorpina's sting did.

[[AC:TabletopRPG]]

** DarkSun Monstrous Compendium Appendix 1 ''Terrors of the Desert''. The So-ut's claws secrete an acidic poison that damages targets and their armor.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* ''{{Pokemon}}'' is a bit iffy. While acid attacks are classified as poison attacks, they are almost the only poison attacks that don't have a chance of poisoning the opponent.
** And therefore steel-types are immune to acid.
* ''FinalFantasy'' and similar {{RPG}}s can be assumed to use this trope with their poison-elemental attacks. Otherwise, they shouldn't deal any damage to mechanical or otherwise non-living targets.
** In some entries, such as the first, machines are indeed immune to poison.

* The Vindictus MMORPG has an Acidic Poison Pouch item that contains an acidic poison.
* {{Runescape}} has a salesman who sells 'all purpose-poison'. In one quest, you learn that it's used for things like polishing family crests and cleaning fountains.

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* The stirring something, then lifting the spoon and watching it dissolve is a repeated gag used in LooneyTunes. Most often with horrible poisons, but also mysterious brews like the JekyllAndHyde variety, and {{Gargle Blaster}}s.

* Overdone to the point of parody in an episode of ''TheRealGhostbusters'' where a poisoned cup of milk eats through several floors. Given they were living through a mystery author's last novel, the surreality of it was intentional.

[[AC:RealLife]]
* Hydrofluoric acid is also a lethal poison.
** To elaborate a bit: hydrofluoric acid is not a strong acid — and that is, ironically, what makes it so dangerous. Strong acids, such as hydrochloric acid, are called strong because they are completely dissociated to ions when in water. Hydrofluoric acid in contrast remains partly on its non-ionized molecular form. Unlike the ions, hydrofluoric acid is capable of diffusing through your skin and spreading fluorine in your [[DrStrangelove bodily fluids]], creating all kinds of havoc (mainly by precipitation of calcium fluoride, and it gets the calcium from your bones. In other words, it melts your bones from the inside out.). This also makes it extremely difficult to wash spillage away from your skin, as you only wash away the fluoride ions, while the molecular acid remains.
*** Hydrofluoric acid is a "weak acid" but the strong/weak classification is unrelated to how corrosive it is. Hydrofluoric acid will dissolve, among other things, glass and various metals. It may be lethal as a poison, but the ability to dissolve every part of a human body isnrather enough on its own
** Highly corrosive chemicals are, by definition, dangerous to consume.
* Somewhat TruthInTelevision. The venom of some poisonous species of snake contain enzymes that kick-start the digestive process in a sense... though nowhere near the "instant disintegration" seen in TV and movies. Snake venom is, after all, essentially just modified spit. Likewise, certain species of venomous snakes produce poisons that basically break down the muscles around the heart killing their prey.
** Hemotoxic venoms and myotoxic venoms are the ones that cause tissue degradation, being as they are meant to start the digestive process while killing the prey. Neurotoxic venom only paralyzes or shuts down the nervous system.
** Nearly any spit-poison is acidic, as its primary function is usually to blind, which a normal poison wouldn't do.
** Brown recluse spiders, anyone?
*** That's actually caused by bacteria, not the venom. It rarely happens with a recluse bite, and has been known to happen with other spider bites, even harmless bites from jumping spiders.
* [[CaptainObvious Drinking acid... will kill you.]]
** [[DidNotDoTheResearch You mean like lemon juice or vinegar?]]
*** A very, ''very'' weakly acidic solution like those two above obviously won't give you any problems. But an even slightly concentrated acidic or basic solution when consumed can kill you. Your blood has a buffer system in it that prevents from high pH increases or decreases but even a .15 difference is enough to put you in a coma if not kill you. That's why so many people die from alcohol poisoning and why people starve to death- their pH drops.
* There used to be trick spoons that inverted this trope. They melted in coffee. They also contained lead.
** Or [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaJ_Yxj9bG8 gallium]]

* Concentrated potassium cyanide solutions are hightly corrosive for steel, copper and some other metalls. With help of air even gold may be dissolved. Did I mention, that potassium cyanide is potent posion?

----

The fact that this level of acidity would kill the target long before the poison could affect him is never addressed.

Funnily enough, this actually has some TruthInTelevision. If a liquid is hightly corrosive, eiter because of being strong acid or strong ligand, taking it into your system and sometimes even touching it with bare skin is usually a very bad idea. Opposite, however, is not the case. There are many, many poisons, that are either quite inert (such as carbon mooxide) or simply so effective, that even traces hardly detectable by modern labs are completly lethal.

* Potassium cyanide solutions ''are'' hightly corrosive for steel, copper and some other metalls. With help of air even gold may be dissolved.

Funnily enough, this actually has some TruthInTelevision. Most poisons tend to be bases, in the chemical sense, and strong bases are just as dangerous as strong acids. Bases work slightly differently from acids, but bases will still eat a hole through your hand. Then they'll get into your bloodstream... [[AndThatsTerrible and that's not good]].

** DarkSun setting. The So-ut monster has an acidic poison.

** One troper just assumed that that was a Spark-enhanced version of something like the digestive-enzyme poisons that really exist.

** ''PowerRangersMysticForce does this twice in two different episodes. Once, a poisoned apple, seconds after Chip suspects it's no good, instantly blackens and deflates like a balloon. Later, a goblet of poisoned wine (well, poisoned something. [[FrothyMugsOfWater It's a kids' show, after all]].) eats through a book on the table after it's knocked from the intended victim's hand. All the usual FridgeLogic applies.