Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Zirconyl nitrate

alancj - 27-5-2007 at 00:54

I’m wondering how hard a chemical zirconium oxonitrate [ ZrO(NO3)2 ] is to make. It is used with zinc and cobalt nitrates as a paint for making spinel cobalt oxide anodes by painting and baking on a Ti substrate. See pat. 4,369,105 if you’re curious.

Anyway, its synthesis is described in the “Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry” that you’ll find in the sciencemadness library. See page 1241. You need CCl4, N2O4, ZrI4 and other stuff I would find to be a real PITA to get.

I want to know if there is an easier way to make it considerably more accessible then the one above.

Thanks,
-Alan

Eclectic - 27-5-2007 at 05:41

Zirconium and it's Compounds

Dissolve zirconium hydroxide in nitric acid.

How much do you need, what material would you like to start with, and how hard do you want to work? You could start with Zircopax from ceramics suppliers, or zircon flour from metal casting suppliers.

[Edited on 5-27-2007 by Eclectic]

Eclectic - 27-5-2007 at 06:34

Or you could just buy it:

Zirconium Nitrate, 25g

not_important - 27-5-2007 at 09:54

This is the important question :
Quote:
Originally posted by Eclectic
...
How much do you need, what material would you like to start with, and how hard do you want to work? You could start with Zircopax from ceramics suppliers, or zircon flour from metal casting suppliers.


as the more common Zr compounds are not easy to go elsewhere with. The high temperature chlorination to ZrCl4, or getting to the hydrated oxide or sulfate via fusion with NaOH + NaF or Na2CO3 possibly with added NaF, are the typical routes to Zr compounds from ZrO2 or ZrSiO4 (zircopax).

Eclectic - 27-5-2007 at 11:42

Fusion with NaHSO4 seems to work, maybe also boiling H2SO4.
You would then need to precipitate the hydroxide or carbonate.

alancj - 27-5-2007 at 23:36

hmm... $40 sure sounds a lot easier. I probably don’t need that much, 25g would be plenty to experiment with. Following the 10 Co: 5 Zn: 1 Zr ratios, 25g would make about 400g. That would make quite a few anodes I would think.

I’m a little confused, is zircon flour ZrO2 or ZrSiO2? Eclectic, which one are we talking about when you mention fusion with NaHSO4?

Thanks,
-Alan

Eclectic - 28-5-2007 at 05:36

ZrSiO4, ground zircon sand for foundry work. Coarser than Zircopax, but cheaper. I'm basing the bisulfate fusion on the book link I posted upthread, and my reading of it was very cursory.

"Your mileage may vary."

At least you don't need to mess with fluorides. Alkali fusion should also work, but you would need to get rid of the soluble silicates.

[Edited on 5-28-2007 by Eclectic]