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Author: Subject: Nitric distillation off Magensium Nitrate
Contrabasso
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[*] posted on 15-8-2010 at 08:33
Nitric distillation off Magensium Nitrate


Treasuring my conc sulphuric, I want to avoid even using it where it's not essential. I want 90+% nitric, and reading Federoff he says to distil off conc sulphuric or Magnesium Nitrate, as the sulphuric was a one off ebay lot, and Mag Nitrate is regularly available on ebay.


Has anyone actually distilled azeotropic nitric over magnesium nitrate and got a reasonable yield and purity, what is the waste like to extract from nice glassware?

I think I'm planning to get some 35% nitric delivered from the hydroponic shop, evaporate it to azeotrope strength, then add excess mag nitrate and distil over to get strong nitric. Possibly under reduced pressure, but Federoff suggests working at round the freezing point of HNO3 and there is no way I can do distillations at -40C, so I may have to clean to WFNA by bubbling and urea.
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hissingnoise
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[*] posted on 15-8-2010 at 09:13


Even if you can get anhydrous Mg(NO3)2 it's a one-use desiccant as it decomposes on heating. . .
Use draincleaner if you don't want to part with H2SO4!

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[*] posted on 15-8-2010 at 09:53


Dead simple, there is no acid drain cleaner available in the UK. Even shops that I was directed to by other UK members, no longer stock acid drain cleaner.

One member pointed me to a UK chain hardware shop from which he bought acid drain cleaner, now they do not sell acid cleaner. If I could get more sulphuric then I wouldn't be looking for another method.

Drain cleaners here are now mostly enzyme, surfactant and fragrance.

Even battery acid has gone from even the most specialist battery places.

I'm trying to get some V2O5 as a catalyst for acid production, but that's a long and expensive route for a few litres, yes I've studied the forum lead chamber process thread.
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hissingnoise
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[*] posted on 15-8-2010 at 10:10


Quote:
If I could get more sulphuric then I wouldn't be looking for another method.

Ebay still has H2SO4 (and HNO3) but it isn't cheap. . .
Even so, I'd sooner buy than make!

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[*] posted on 15-8-2010 at 11:58


There are a lot of people saying magnesium nitrate can't be regenerated by heating because it decomposes. That's not my experience...perhaps if you tried to make it completely anhydrous, but boiling to molten di or monohydrate seems completely practical if you have a sealed metal chamber to cool it off in. I used a 40 quart aluminum canner.
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