# laser steve's nitric recipie further simplified



## solar seeker (Nov 15, 2010)

So I was thinking one day that there was little if any need to add water to laser steve's recipie in order to get good results. I also wanted to see if heating was required in order for the chemicals to react. So I took concentrated sulfuric acid (90+%) and added just enough of it to make a slurry with finely ground sodium nitrate and it instantly began fuming (white fuming) or pure nitric acid mixed with sodium sulfate/nitrate crystals :shock: . The resulting mixture was further confermed as being pure nitric by passivating copper metal but not doing so when dilluted. 

So the recipie is : 
sodium nitrate and
concentrated sulfuric acid
in either stoichiometric ammounts or
slightly more sulfuric acid than needed.
This mixture can be used dirrectly or diluted with water and put into the freezer 
so that the sodium sulfate can precipitate out. I suspect that the chemicals need at least a little water to react fully, to prevent passivation,and to be able to have enough liquid to filter out of the sodium sulfate crystal mash.

One of the uses that comes to mind is nitrating cotton but that's not really allawed arround here. Btw I would appriciate it if someone would post a good use or recycling method for 
sodium sulfate because I haven't found one yet. I would also be greatful if laser steve would 
post the proper ratio for mixing these chemicals so that the nitrates don't get over used and the sodium bisulfate (PH down) to sulfuric acid substitution ratio.


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## milkandpie (Nov 16, 2010)

Why not try calcium chloride (ice melt) to make gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) with your sodium sulfate? 

Na2SO4(aq) + CaCl2-(aq)--> CaSO4(s) + 2NaCl(aq)

Calcium sulfate is insoluble in H2O. Gypsum can be used as a fertilizer.

I would expect this reaction to be robust.

Many may find this reference helpful in understanding metals and how they behave in water:

http://books.google.com/books?id=u_VM6XVGxcAC&lpg=PA224&ots=TQ5WfxY6vg&dq=strength%20of%20common%20anions%20in%20soil&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=strength%20of%20common%20anions%20in%20soil&f=false


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## butcher (Nov 18, 2010)

studying the older posts which reveal why and how the nitric formula was worked out, sounds like you are trying to reinvent the wheel, solar seeker for very high percentage of nitric acid there would be more steps, and yes no need to discuss them here on the forum, as for making nitric as you have, you are loosing alot of it in the salts formed. I have studied nitric for some time now and for the nitric we use it would be hard to come up with a better formula than what steve has worked out.


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