Nitric acid

Nitric acid belongs to the group of inorganic acids. Nitric acid (HNO3), also known as aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosive and toxic strong acid. If the solution contains more than 86% nitric acid, it is referred to as fuming nitric acid. Depending on the amount of nitrogen dioxide present, fuming nitric acid is further characterized as white fuming nitric acid or red fuming nitric acid, at concentrations above 95%.At room temperature, nitric acid tends to rapidly develop a yellow color due to decomposition.

Properties:
Pure anhydrous nitric acid (100%) is a colorless mobile liquid with a density of 1.512 g/cm3 which solidifies at 42 C to form white crystals and boils at 83 C. Anhydrous nitric acid should be stored below 0 C to avoid decomposition. Nitric acid is miscible with water in all proportions and distillation gives an azeotrope with a concentration of 68 percent HNO3 and a boiling temperature of 120.5C at 1 atm. The nitrogen dioxide (NO2) remains dissolved in the nitric acid coloring it yellow, or red at higher temperatures. While the pure acid tends to give off white fumes when exposed to air, acid with dissolved nitrogen dioxide gives off reddish-brown vapors, leading to the common name "red fuming acid" or "fuming nitric acid".

Acid-base properties
Nitric acid is normally considered to be a strong acid at ambient temperatures. There is some disagreement over the value of the acid dissociation constant, though the pKa value is usually reported as less than 1. This means that the nitric acid in solution is fully dissociated except in extremely acidic solutions. The pKa value rises to 1 at a temperature of 250 C. Nitric acid can act as a base with respect to an acid such as sulfuric acid.

History :
1. Distillation of salt peter with sulfuric acid is the usual ancient method of preparation. 2. Ammonia can be burned in air in the presence of platinum catalyst and nitrogen oxides this formed can be oxidized further and absorbed water to form nitric acid.

3. The earliest known written description of the method of synthesizing

nitric acid is credited to the alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan.

Uses:
1. Most of nitric acid is used in making ammonium nitrate. 2. Sodium, copper and silver nitrates are produced on a large scale. 3. Organic nitrates (nitroglycerine, glycol nitrate, cellulose nitrate) and nitro compounds(TNT, RDX, picric acid) all require nitric acid for their synthesis. 4. Nitroparaffins are also made on large scale by vapor phase nitration with nitric acid.

5. The main use of nitric acid is for the production of fertilizers; other
important uses include the production of explosives, etching and dissolution of metals, especially as a component of aqua regia for the purification and extraction of gold, and in chemical synthesis. 6. It is used for making plastics. 7. It is used in the manufacture of dyes.

Rocket fuel

Nitric acid has been used in various forms as the oxidizer in liquid-fueled rockets. These forms include red fuming nitric acid, white fuming nitric acid, mixtures with sulfuric acid, and these forms with HF inhibitor.

Woodworking
In a low concentration (approximately 10%), nitric acid is often used to artificially age pine and maple. The color produced is a grey-gold very much like very old wax or oil finished wood (wood finishing).

Raw material:
Ammonia, air, water and platinium-10% are the essential material. Location near an ammonia plant is usually desireable.

Manufacturing procedures:
There are two types of processes to produce nitric acid. 1. The single pressure process 2. The dual pressure process

The single pressure process:

The single pressure consist of a multiple stage rotary compressor with intercooler between stages is driven by a steam turbine and a power recovery turbine the so called tail gas expander. The outlet air is split 85 percent going to the converter and 15 percent to heat exchanger and the bleach column.

The dual pressure process:

The dual pressure process buys lower catalyst cost by using lower velocities, larger diameter catalyst beds with thinner gauze layers(only four), and operates with lower pressure , 240kpa in the converter. The dual pressure system reduces cost sharply to about $1.50 per metric ton of 100% HNO3 produced. It require about 2 percent less power but recovers about 5 percent less power and produces less by- product steam compared with the single-pressure system. The weight of catalyst per unit of daily production is about the same for both processes.

( Prepared by: MUNEEB-UR-REHMAN)