Hello all,
First, the usual thanks to all that have worked to answer questions here. As a noob to this, you all have been most helpful.
I have been trying to make nitric acid using lazersteve's cold recipe and the one hurtle I am having trouble overcoming is the dissolving of the 170g of sodium nitrate into the 100ml of water. I've found other posts that mention this so I know I'm not alone but no discussion of what might be wrong. If the post is there and I simply have not searched long enough, I apologize.
Per the instructions I am using 100ml (on some attempts a few ml more) to dissolve 170g - (2M) of sodium nitrate (or slightly less). I have checked temperature each time to verify 100 degrees C except the last time. In that case I used a microwave to heat the distiled water and had violent boiling before pouring off 100ml to use. I am stirring for up to an hour with only short pauses to switch hands or shift my position - no pause was over a minute. in each case (5 now) I have had about the same amount of sodium nitrate left undissolved in the bottom of the container. I am using Nitrate of soda - 16-0-0.
As an experiment on one batch I continued the procedure despite the left over material. Other than the sediment I started out with everything went as described. The resulting sediment I am assuming to be undissolved sodium nitrate with a covering of sodium sulphate. I tested the pour-off in a test tube with a scrap of copper pipe and got the expected green tint and could see a few bubbles from the reaction at first. I also noted a slight dark vapor rising from the tube - also what I would expect. Leaving it standing for a few days I saw only a bit of copper left but had a while sediment in the bottom of the tube. At the end of 5 days the sediment was thicker and the copper was either gone or buried in the sediment and the color was more of a light blue than green.
From what I have observed I am guessing: 1 - I got some form of nitric acid from my test. 2. It is either weaker than the 50% lazersteve describes or is contaminated with other stuff or both.
So the questions are 1. - is there something I am missing when it comes to dissolving the sodium nitrate? 2. - if one were to double the water could one reasonably expect to get something near a 25% solution out of it. From what I have read here that would be sufficient for the first acid steps described on this forum and in Hoke even if one had to wait a bit longer for the reaction to eliminate the base metals you need eliminated. (is that last statement correct?) 3. Any thoughts as to the composition of the sediment in the test tube?
Other questions / thoughts - The only reason I am concerned about getting nitric is the reclaiming of pins and crushed CPUs (at least for now). I saw a post where lazersteve used his AP for the pins at least but the time was a bit prohibitive. Time for me is not a big issue, so should I give up on the nitric in any case? Time is not such a big deal for me at this point, but the conversation seemed to stop shortly after so I never did get a good feeling for how effective it might be. (as an aside - lazersteve -- you rock! Can't thank you enough for the help and materials you make available.) And IF I could find a source of nitric that did not cost an arm, leg, and other body parts I am fond of I would certainly not bother making it.
Thanks again to everyone that makes this forum and their knowledge available.
Virgil
First, the usual thanks to all that have worked to answer questions here. As a noob to this, you all have been most helpful.
I have been trying to make nitric acid using lazersteve's cold recipe and the one hurtle I am having trouble overcoming is the dissolving of the 170g of sodium nitrate into the 100ml of water. I've found other posts that mention this so I know I'm not alone but no discussion of what might be wrong. If the post is there and I simply have not searched long enough, I apologize.
Per the instructions I am using 100ml (on some attempts a few ml more) to dissolve 170g - (2M) of sodium nitrate (or slightly less). I have checked temperature each time to verify 100 degrees C except the last time. In that case I used a microwave to heat the distiled water and had violent boiling before pouring off 100ml to use. I am stirring for up to an hour with only short pauses to switch hands or shift my position - no pause was over a minute. in each case (5 now) I have had about the same amount of sodium nitrate left undissolved in the bottom of the container. I am using Nitrate of soda - 16-0-0.
As an experiment on one batch I continued the procedure despite the left over material. Other than the sediment I started out with everything went as described. The resulting sediment I am assuming to be undissolved sodium nitrate with a covering of sodium sulphate. I tested the pour-off in a test tube with a scrap of copper pipe and got the expected green tint and could see a few bubbles from the reaction at first. I also noted a slight dark vapor rising from the tube - also what I would expect. Leaving it standing for a few days I saw only a bit of copper left but had a while sediment in the bottom of the tube. At the end of 5 days the sediment was thicker and the copper was either gone or buried in the sediment and the color was more of a light blue than green.
From what I have observed I am guessing: 1 - I got some form of nitric acid from my test. 2. It is either weaker than the 50% lazersteve describes or is contaminated with other stuff or both.
So the questions are 1. - is there something I am missing when it comes to dissolving the sodium nitrate? 2. - if one were to double the water could one reasonably expect to get something near a 25% solution out of it. From what I have read here that would be sufficient for the first acid steps described on this forum and in Hoke even if one had to wait a bit longer for the reaction to eliminate the base metals you need eliminated. (is that last statement correct?) 3. Any thoughts as to the composition of the sediment in the test tube?
Other questions / thoughts - The only reason I am concerned about getting nitric is the reclaiming of pins and crushed CPUs (at least for now). I saw a post where lazersteve used his AP for the pins at least but the time was a bit prohibitive. Time for me is not a big issue, so should I give up on the nitric in any case? Time is not such a big deal for me at this point, but the conversation seemed to stop shortly after so I never did get a good feeling for how effective it might be. (as an aside - lazersteve -- you rock! Can't thank you enough for the help and materials you make available.) And IF I could find a source of nitric that did not cost an arm, leg, and other body parts I am fond of I would certainly not bother making it.
Thanks again to everyone that makes this forum and their knowledge available.
Virgil
