DR-
Does your formula require concentrated sulphuric acid?
I have been making nitric for awhile now using concentrated sulphuric acid and a saturated solution of sodium nitrate and water. Since I use a fair amount of this acid, my recipe for volume is 2000 ml of distilled water, 3.4 kilograms of sodium nitrate, and 1120 ml of 98% sulphuric acid. Heat the water to boiling to dissolve all the sodium nitrate. Dump the solution into a clean 5 gallon bucket, let it cool just a little. Use a large stirring paddle. YOU HAVE TO PUT THE FIRST 50 TO 100 ML OF SULPHURIC ACID IN A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME!! Otherwise the stuff will boil over. Stir constantly! If it foams a lot, spray it down with a spray bottle with cold water. Once you have some of the sulphuric in, it settles down and you can pour the rest in slowly, stirring constantly. This process outgases, so be outside or ventilation! I let the solution cool in the bucket, most of the salts drop out. Then I pour the solution into beakers or glass coffee pots, and put into the freezer overnight. Then pour into containers while cold, but not the salt.
I am considering taking nitric production to the next level. The nitric produced by a saturated solution of sodium nitrate and concentrated sulphuric acid produces a theoretical 50% nitric acid. The problem I see after using this acid is there are still substantial salts in the solution, and the performance of this grade of acid is not adequate for some processes. The fix for this is purifying the nitric acid/salts is through distillation, leaving the salts behind in the evaporation flask. I don’t currently have a condenser, but would like to get set up to make full strength material.
I welcome your advice on an effective procedure/equipment for distillation of nitric acid. I have a fume hood and a water chiller to operate a condenser.
Thank you!
John
