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warmage
January 10th, 2004, 04:38 AM
Querry?
Has anyone tried to use the contents of a cars catalytic converter as a high temp catalyst for
the oxidation of ammonia method of making NO2?

kingspaz
January 11th, 2004, 06:45 PM
i believe mega may have attempted it.

hodio
January 19th, 2004, 03:59 PM
for me is better get the nitric from Ca(NO3)2 + H2SO4=2* HNO3 + CaSO4 and distil to get acid about 60%(I think it's good for some nitrations).What you are traing to do is an Ostwald process which is much complicated (the pressure in the reaction is to high and the reaction balance is very nasty).I dont say it's impossible to do...but i believe you get a low concentration and a lot of problems.

ALENGOSVIG1
January 19th, 2004, 04:27 PM
60% nitric acid from Ca(NO3)2 and H2SO4? You've got to be doing something wrong to achive such low puritry acid. Heat your Ca(NO3)2 at low temp in an over for a few hours. I believe I read that hydrated Ca(NO3)2 (which is what your most likely using) contains up to 30% crystalline water. Also don't forget to heat your H2SO4 on a hotplate 'till it starts really fuming. That should get you 95%+ HNO3.

hodio
January 19th, 2004, 07:38 PM
That's right if you can get pure Ca(NO3)2*4H2O and concentrate H2SO4 (no problem!?)
I used 40% H2SO4( for car batteries) and some semi-pure Ca nitrate , distilling off the 67% azeotropic HNO3/H2O that i used to make some Hg fulminate.If you want the "red dragon" (over 90%) nitric, than you need ~98% H2SO4.Anyway mostly you can get fertilizer mix Ca nitrate/NH4NO3.When i have the pure calcium nitrate i dry it at temperatures between 150 and 400 C to avoid decomposition (NO2 fumes...very nasty).
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if you want pure Ca(NO3)2 from NH4NO3 than:

CaO + H2O + 2NH4NO3 > Ca(NO3)2 + NH3 + 2H2O