Sciencemadness Discussion Board - NH4NO3 heat sensitivity

NH4NO3 heat sensitivity

Orsyn - 21-2-2015 at 09:04

Hey all, my first post here.

I'm reducing some AN for some Aqua Regia, and I wonder how sensitive it is to heat?

Is it dangerous to reduce on an electric burner?

I read the MSDS and looking at the flashpoint, it seems reasonably safe, but I wanted to double check.

Thanks! BTW awesome forum, I look fwd to learning a poop-ton here..

Bert - 21-2-2015 at 09:15

It melts, then decomposes. Depending on what you do, and HOW MUCH, bad things can happen. Numerous hippies used to make nitrous oxide for giggles doing this, most of them lived.

Describe precisely what you want to do, please provide references/where you found the information you are working from?

greenlight - 21-2-2015 at 09:34

I have used an electric hotplate on low to medium heat to dry Ammonium nitrate for use in ANNM charges. It once accidentally started melting slightly on the bottom but no fire or decomposition.

[Edited on 21-2-2015 by greenlight]

Orsyn - 21-2-2015 at 09:58

Quote: Originally posted by Bert

It melts, then decomposes. Depending on what you do, and HOW MUCH, bad things can happen. Numerous hippies used to make nitrous oxide for giggles doing this, most of them lived.

Describe precisely what you want to do, please provide references/where you found the information you are working from?

I should have been a bit more clear in that what I'm wanting to do is simply filter as many impurities out of an aqueous sltn. made from two mal-wart cold packs and some tap water. I'm pretty sure these cold-packs (CA) are calcium ammonium nitrate.

The goal here is to have something I can nitrate HCL with so I can strip some Au and Pt off some scrap electronics.

So far I''ve just been dissolving the packs in water, I haven't started reducing yet. Yesterday I read the MSDS and decided I should double-check the safety of this procedure, that was primarily inspired by this (I watch a lot of Nurd-Rage's channel as well as Nile Red's):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt-676bfXRI

Thanks for the replies, I'll definitely keep the burner down and keep an eye on it for any signs of melting..

cheers

gdflp - 21-2-2015 at 10:23

If you are just doing the same procedure in the video, there is a minimal risk of anything bad happening. By taking it off of the hot plate before all of the water has boiled off, it essentially prevents the temperature from rising too high and the ammonium nitrate shouldn't melt. To be safe, keep a thermometer in the mixture and if it starts rising very quickly from the temperature it was boiling at, remove it from heat.

greenlight - 21-2-2015 at 10:23

I dont think you will have any problems boiling it down as shown in your linked video. As long as you dont boil to dryness and then keep heating after all the water is gone which would probably cause it to melt. Just keep an eye on it and maybe even just cool it right down when about 2/3 of the water has boiled off to precipitate the AN.

Exactly what gdflp said.

[Edited on 21-2-2015 by greenlight]

Orsyn - 21-2-2015 at 10:54

Would ammonia smell (gas) be a product of decomposition?

jock88 - 21-2-2015 at 12:52

Strange stuff to heat. It will melt/dissolve in it's own dampness.

If you can find a book by cornelius kelter (i think) called Fertizisers (I think).

Attachment: Storage_of_hot_ammonium_nitrate_solutions.pdf (713kB)
This file has been downloaded 403 times

jock88 - 21-2-2015 at 13:43

page from book