Few weeks ago I made some ammonium citrate, just because I was curious.
When I tried to crystallize it, it started to behave like a sugar in solution - instead of crystals, a syrupy solution was observed. The remaining
water refuses to go away.
I would like to try ammonium citrate as an experimental rocket fuel, but with so much water this is impossible.
Why did this happen? Any thoughts how to dry it? I have no vacuum pump.barley81 - 25-2-2012 at 11:06
You may try putting it in a sealed ziplock bag next to a dish of dessicant ala Nurdrage. If it still cannot be crystallized, you might get a dry mass
that still can be powdered and mixed with oxidizer. Try it and tell us!Adas - 25-2-2012 at 11:20
I thought about this, but I have no desiccant at hand at the moment. Maybe ammonium nitrate but I don't want to waste it. I'd rather try heating it at
100°C.
I will probably try that tomorrow. But I don't think it will be very succesfull.Bot0nist - 25-2-2012 at 12:29
How would the ammonium nitrate be wasted? Just dry it to reuse it. If you have lye in hand it works great. Also cheap kitty litter works if you bake
it at low temps first.Adas - 25-2-2012 at 12:49
How would the ammonium nitrate be wasted? Just dry it to reuse it. If you have lye in hand it works great. Also cheap kitty litter works if you bake
it at low temps first.
Maybe you are right, but I am still not sure if this method can remove enough water.bbartlog - 25-2-2012 at 15:42
Supposedly ammonium citrate loses ammonia when heated much above room temperature. Heating to 100C would likely yield an acid ammonium citrate of some
kind rather than the neutral ammonium citrate you started with.weiming1998 - 25-2-2012 at 16:15
If it is in summer in your country, you could dry it in the full heat of the sun. Where I live, I find it easy to dry even things like ammonium
nitrate by simply leaving it outside, in a sunny place.
If you live in a colder place/winter, then I suggest you buy some solid drain cleaner (the sodium hydroxide doesn't even have to be pure). Then use
that as a dessicant.Adas - 26-2-2012 at 11:15
Supposedly ammonium citrate loses ammonia when heated much above room temperature. Heating to 100C would likely yield an acid ammonium citrate of some
kind rather than the neutral ammonium citrate you started with.
No, no and no. It does not lose ammonia gas when heated. It just caramelises or what.
Weiming: It is still winter here But thanks for your idea, I'll keep that in
mind.bbartlog - 26-2-2012 at 19:02
From 'The Journal of industrial and engineering chemistry, Volume 6, Part 1', p228 (from 1914):
'The fact that neutral ammonium citrate is very unstable and easily loses ammonia has not been considered in this connection, however'.
They also show a table that gives some indication of how much is lost at 65C and 75C respectively, but I can't quite make out the labeling.
It is possible that this only occurs in aqueous solution, and that dry ammonium citrate would not decompose this way... but that isn't what you have.
But thanks for your idea, I'll keep that in
mind.