Recovering Nitric Acid from Copper Nitrate Solution

[edieboy]

How do you recover Nitric Acid from Copper Nitrate Solution?
The Copper Nitrate was from the Recovery of Silver from Silver Nitrate Solution using Copper Method.

 

[FrugalRefiner]

Read through the Processing Sterling Silver without nitric acid thread.

Dave

 

[edieboy]

Thanks for the help Dave. . .but can you make nitric acid from copper nitrate? without using electrolysis method.

 

[FrugalRefiner]

I'm not aware of a way. You have to put energy into the system to cause hydrogen to replace copper.

Dave

 

[Grelko]

This link should help you.

http://goldrefiningforum.com/~goldrefi/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=5410

Copper nitrate solutions can be dehydrated and converted to nitric acid via decomposition and passing the brown gas into cold distilled water or hydrogen peroxide:

2 Cu (NO3)2 → 2 CuO + 4 NO2 + O2
3NO2 + H2O → 2HNO3 + NO

The left over copper oxide can then be converted to copper metal in the presence of hydrogen or carbon monoxide:

CuO + H2 → Cu + H2O
CuO + CO → Cu + CO2

Or you can convert it to copper chloride to use in the AP reaction:

CuO + 2 HCl → CuCl2 + H2O

Copper nitrate solution (6 molar or less) can also be converted to nitric acid via electrolysis. The anode and cathode are inert materials (graphite) and the copper metal is removed form the cell as it accumulates at the negative terminal. The nitric produced will not be 100% free of base metals, but will be usable in further dissolving reactions to remove more base metal.

You can also cement out the copper with aluminum or iron if the copper nitrate solution is not too saturated.

Steve

 

[g_axelsson]

Mix with sulfuric acid and distill off nitric acid, leaving copper sulfate.

Göran

 

[edieboy]

Thanks for the help guys. . . .il try your suggestions. . .