raistlin - 10-9-2002 at 12:52
Im curious to see if anyone can see anything wrong with this before I go and attempt it.
NH4NO3 + KOH --> KNO3 + H2O + NH3
2NH4NO3 + K2CO3 --> 2KNO3 + H2O + 2NH3 + CO2
All help is appreciated
kingspaz - 10-9-2002 at 13:01
both reaction should proceed easily. i *think* you would just need to mix them together and boild off the water for the first reaction. the heat would
cause the NH4OH <=> NH3 + H2O equilibrium to shift to the right thus removing the products leaving only KNO3. seems like a very good method to me!
mix chemicals in the right ratio, add to water then boil off water until you have a slush then allow to cool and filter. the reason i have changed my
mind about boiling it all off is because if you filtered the KNO3 from the slush you would have a more pure product. unless you added slight excess
NH4NO3 which should use up all KOH and the excess left over would decompose after boiling for a while leaving a 100% KNO3 product.
raistlin - 10-9-2002 at 13:11
Ok, now can anyone tell me where I can get the needed chemicals? Im not quite sure as where I can buy, or what I can make them from.
There is a FAQ...
Polverone - 10-9-2002 at 15:59
Just for this purpose, linked on the front page of sciencemadness.org! Take note of the link it contains to a document on obtaining basic lab
supplies.
Whoops, I spoke too soon. Either the internet is flaking out on this school connection (not too unlikely) or the site, www.nitrogenorder.org, that hosted the document has disappeared.
So I'll answer you. NH4NO3 is found in instant chemical cold packs (urea is also used in these, so check to see what you're actually buying) and as
fertilizer. There aren't any other consumer uses that I can think of. KOH is found, along with hypochlorites, in a number of alkali drain opener
formulations but you don't want to mix ammonium nitrate and hypochlorites. KOH is also used for making soap, but you probably won't find it unless you
go to a specialty craft store or the like.
Potassium nitrate is often found as fertilizer (cheapest), stump remover (next cheapest), and at drugstores (expensive). If you can order things
online, a number of stores can supply you. May I suggest you look at www.pyrotek.org or www.clayartcenter.com?
Ramiel - 11-9-2002 at 01:10
I Australia at least, KOH is sold as either lye or caustic soda in some supermarkets.
Ramiel - 11-9-2002 at 01:12
Edit to above post:
Is it possible that the reaction would be more like:
NH4NO3 + KNO ==> KNO3 + NH4OH(aq)
?
vulture - 11-9-2002 at 10:20
NH3 is a pretty weak base and thus only accepts a small amount of H+ forming NH4+ and OH-.
Thus, in the following reaction the equilibrum is strongly to the left:
NH3 + H2O -> NH4+ + OH-
daryl - 21-9-2002 at 05:13
In my younger days, I would build up a stock of bromine by reacting potassium bromide with nitric acid in a retort heated with boiling water.
After most of the bromine was distilled and condensed in a test tube in ice water. the solute of potassium nitrate in water was poured out of the
retort. It's best done quickly otherwise the KNO3 chrystalizes into long crystals inside the retort.
The potassium nitrate will be contaminated with bromine which will evaporate.
This reaction means that you can provide yourself with an interesting halogen and a useful by-product.