Xenos
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Unknown Substance
Today my friend and I attempted to make nitric acid using 93% sulfuric acid and barium nitrate. we added 10mL sulfuric acid to 5g Ba(NO3)2. (by the
way, we tested sulfuric acid on litmus paper, which yielded high acidity) then, since it did not appear to be reacting, we heated it, causing white
fumes to appear and drift out of the flask. we assumed this were sulfuric acid vapor. these vapors were wafted onto litmus paper, telling us it was
less acidic than the sulfuric acid. soon the mixture in the flask turned yellow with a layer of filmy milky white on the bottom. one of us thinks he
saw red fumes inside the glass. this, on litmus paper, tested out to be even less acidic than the vapors. we took a small amount and dropped it into a
test tube with copper filings in it, which did nothing at all. we then added magnesium, which caused bubbling, so we put a cork on it. shortly
thereafter we tested for flammability, which yielded negative results. in the original flask there was only the milky white substance left, so we
tested its density, which was 1.25 g/mL. we also dropped a small amount onto a piece of filter paper, however it did not filter out or eat away the
paper, it only turned it yellow. we burned to see if it was nitrated paper, but it was not. we have no idea what it is, can anybody else surmise
anything?
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Xenos
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update
UPDATE: vapors smell similar to sodium hypochlorate (pool "chlorine").
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IodineForLunch
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This mystery substance is probably dilute nitric acid, which does have a habit of turning paper yellow. The reason for the yellow coloring is the
rpesence of dissolved nitrogen dioxide. Also, the reason it wasn't very acidic on the litmus was that nitric is not the strongest acid, pH-wise
(hydroiodic is, actually), and has an even higher pH when diluted with water. The filmy milky white on the bottom was probably barium sulfate, which
is insoluble in most anything.
How did you get such concentrated H2SO4? I thought you only had access to a dilute shit.
David Hansen
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PHILOU Zrealone
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How would one mesure pH with litmus paper of: *dry 100% HNO3 fumes?
*wet 93% H2SO4 (pH= -1,5 or so)?
Without water acidity of HNO3 is weak!
Acidity below 1 aren't representative with limus paper!
HNO3 decolores litmus paper owing to oxydising abilities!
With you mix if all the Ba(NO3)2 had been coverted into unsoluble BaSO4 and HNO3; you would only have 2,5 g HNO3 in about 12,5g H2SO4 what is 16,66%
bw!
Most likely the process is not 100% efficient and yield should be lower!!!!
PH Z (PHILOU Zrealone)
"Physic is all what never works; Chemistry is all what stinks and explodes!"-"Life that deadly disease, sexually transmitted."(W.Allen)
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