Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Nitrous oxide(laughing gas) to nitric acid

darkflame89 - 9-4-2004 at 00:32

I dunno about this: N2O produced from heating ammonium nitrate is reacted with oxygen to form nitrogen monoxide, which subsequently reacts with more oxgen to from NO2. The brown gas can then be dissolved in water to get nitric acid.

Is this series of reaction feasible at room temperature. Is it too slow to react??

Any suggestions for this to improve must keep to idea that where i am living is a place where chemicals are restricted.

thunderfvck - 9-4-2004 at 00:58

NO2 is pretty darn toxic. I wouldn't want to play with that.

You can't find ANY H2SO4? If you can, then you've got nitric acid.

Esplosivo - 9-4-2004 at 01:07

How do you intend to react N2O with Oxygen. You must use some form of catalyst for this since as far as I know N2O reacts with O2 to give nitrogen and oxgen:

2N2O + O2 --> 2N2 + 2O2
(or something like that)

I suggest as already mentioned producing NO2 from sulphuric acid and some nitrate.

[Edited on 9-4-2004 by Esplosivo]

darkflame89 - 9-4-2004 at 01:27

Oh great, all the more i should produce more sulphuric acid as quickly as possible. No, i don't have sulphuric acid sold. It is somehow controlled, can't find it.

A lot of reactions hinges around using sulphuric acid and nitric acid, without them, i can't do anything.:(

Mumbles - 9-4-2004 at 09:18

Cant you just heat the AN hotter and generate the NO2 that way? I know when it gets too hot this becomes a problem with the N2O.

thunderfvck - 9-4-2004 at 12:00

Comeon man, you MUST be able to find H2SO4. This is like, the king of acids. Without this, you are forever lost. There's battery acid, battery refilling acid, drain cleaners (impure, but can probably be used), which are the most common. Where do you live?

darkflame89 - 10-4-2004 at 00:12

Be it the king of acids:D, i just can't find it. I have searched high and low for it, and drain cleaners dun explicitly state their chemical content, anyway most drain cleaners sold are NaOH or biological enzymes.

i have also looked at automobile shops, no, they don't sell battery refill acid. All they got is this stupid special ionised water for the refilling.

So, the heating AN at higher temp, gives NO2?? What about the N2O??Heating it at higher temp also gives NO2??

tom haggen - 10-4-2004 at 05:45

Even if he obtains some concentrated sulphuric acid, it's not like it's so simple to manufacture high grade nitric acid, unless you have a vaccum distillation setup:D
I'm by no means a chemist. But what your thinking of doing darkflame seems completely Improbable. First off I'm having a hard time understanding how you going to contain the N2O, and redirect it towards the reaction your trying to accomplish.



[Edited on 10-4-2004 by tom haggen]

thunderfvck - 10-4-2004 at 11:24

Just think about it man, if it was THIS easy, people at the explosives and weapons forum wouldn't be wasting their time with the H2SO4/KNO3 bit.

darkflame89 - 11-4-2004 at 00:38

:( So that means i will have to go by the AN/H2SO4 route with the apparatus setup as given by brainfever's website.

Sigh, i was jus hoping for an easier way to nitric acid without having to bypass sulphuric acid.

I know off the Birkeland-eyde reactor but i can't possibly built this in Singapore unless i can somehow microscale it a bit.

darkflame,

axehandle - 14-4-2004 at 13:13

can you get (platinum and ammonia) or (V2O5 and sulfur)?

Hints: Jewellers supplier, paint remover, pottery supplier, gardening supplier.


[Edited on 2004-4-14 by axehandle]

thunderfvck - 15-4-2004 at 00:01

LOL

Not many people are as...gifted...as you, axehandle.

:)

darkflame89 - 15-4-2004 at 01:46

Nope, all 4 items are not present in this small island. Unless you count the Pt jewellery but they are expensive, and being a 15 yr old, my budget is real tiny.:(

axehandle - 15-4-2004 at 16:26

Quote:

LOL

Not many people are as...gifted...as you, axehandle.

:)


Uh? I'm not very gifted, I've just always been good at doing things differently than the "normal" way. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't...

Btw, one doesn't really need V2O5 for H2SO4 catalyst. It's just the most used because it's cheaper than platinum, lasts longer, and gives a high yield. There's a list of alternative catalysts for the SO2--->SO3 reaction somewhere in the NaHSO4 thread.... yes, here it is, from fritz:

----- quote -----
Cr2O3-catalyst:
Cr2O3 is heated strongly and brought onto glass-wool.
OR:
(NH4)2Cr2O7 is heated carefully and added to glass-wool.

best use at 200-300°C

Fe2O3-catalyst:
saturated FeSO4-sln. is absorbed on pumice or pieces of brickstone. After drying
heat it to 800°C until no more white smoke appears.
OR:
Fe2O3 is brought on pumice or brickstone

best use at 500-600°C

Fe2O3/CuO/Cr2O3-catalyst:
a mixture of Fe2O3; Cr2O3 and CuO (ratio:???) is dried at 120°C and brought onto glass-wool.

CuO/Cr2O3-catalyst:
CuSO4 and CrCl3 solution (both saturated) is absorbed on pumice. heat to 800°C until no more white smoke appears.

best use at 300-400°C
----- end quote -----

Most, if not all, of these compounds can be found at a pottery supplier. Fe2O3 is extremely cheap, since it's basically, well, rust. I use it as a catalyst in my KNO3/sorbitol rocket fuel mixes, btw. Increases the burn rate by (estimation) 100%.

thunderfvck - 15-4-2004 at 23:26

Ah! The alcohol strikes again! Sorry about that, axehandle. When you mentioned the V2O5, I immediately associated that with the huge project you have going at the moment and I found this rather amusing. And I DO think you are gifted. Quit being so modest. How many people do you know that have made all the crazy things that you have? Anyways, off topic, but you know...