How do you make hno3

This can be done by reacting hydrochloric acid, a nitrate salt and copper. Around grams of sodium nitrate, over grams of copper and mL of hydrochloric acid are the quantities needed. The exact amount isn't critical. For useable concentrations, the amount of water being converted should be small, around mL. Any source of nitrate is usable including potassium nitrate, ammonium nitrate and even nitrate-based fertilizers. The tricky part now is leading the gas into water. Two approaches are shown in the video.

In the first approach three containers, such as jars are place inside each other to force the gas to go into the water. White fuming nitric acid is made from distilling alkali metal nitrates or constant boiling nitric acid with concentrated sulfuric acid at reduced pressure.

Distillation of such mixtures at atmospheric pressure generates red fuming nitric acid. This is nitric acid with dissolved brownish red nitrogen dioxide giving the acid its characteristic reddish brown tint.

The simplist and most used preparation of nitric acid in the lab is by adding concentrated sulfuric acid to a dry nitrate salt, usually, potassium or sodium nitrate.

This mixture is heated to melt the pasty mixture and distill the nitric acid. If vacuum distillation was used, the acid will be clear and be white fuming nitric acid. If the distillation was carried out at atmospheric pressure then a yellow acid is obtained due to some decompositon of the acid into nitrogen dioxide when remain dissolved. This is referred to red fuming nitric acid and this is the best nitric acid for oxidizing non metals such as iodine, antimony, etc.

What is interesting to note is that when a little water is added to the red fuming acid it becomes clear. This is alright considering nitric acid that used for making silver nitrate can be somewhat dilute.

And if preparing aqua regia, the nitrogen oxides will increase the activity of the acid for processing scrap gold. For some, obtaining sulfuric acid can be quite difficult if not impossible, An alternative that will work equally well is concentrated phosphoric acid.

The role of phosphoric acid is the same. A heat stable nonvolitile acid that displaces the nitric acid from a nitrate. Phosphoric acid can be found in the diluted form in rust removal and rust conversion products. It can be concentrated by boiling. If you do not want to prepare white or red fuming nitric acid, or just want more efficient use of your sulfuric acid, then this approach might be best.

You mix the calcium nitrate with the water to dissolve as much as possible then add the concentrated sulfuric acid with constant stirring.

This makes a thick pasty mixture which is distilled in an all glass apparatus. First water is collected in the receiving flash containing small amounts of nitric acid. The video below describes the procedure in detail. Now I present a less efficient but functional method of nitric acid preparation.

This method entails dissolving a nitrate salt in water and adding an acid. This acidified nitrate is then reacted with copper scraps to generate the deadly nitrogen dioxide gas which is led through water or a hydrogen peroxide solution. The hydrogen peroxide solution yields better acid due the fact it oxidizes any nitrous acid formed in water solution to nitric acid increasing yields. Ideally, the receiving solution should be in a slender tall cyclinder and surrounded by a freezing mixture to maximize gas absorption.

It should be noted the acid obtained is very dilute ,and if equipment is lacking, may be contaminated with muriatic acid or metal salts from the intitial reaction. The real plus with this method is sulfuric acid is not necessary and cheaper and more available muriatic acid can be used. It should be noted that sulfuric acid is available as a drain opener and it most cases it will suffice for nitric acid preparation.

Consult the Nurdrage video below for an exhaustive review of this process. Question: How much calcium nitrate and sulphuric acid do l use to prepare Nitric acid? Answer: 1 mole equivalent of sulfuric acid to 1 mole equivalent calcium nitrate.

Answer: Sodium nitrate can be used. Calcium nitrate can be used but your yields may vary. The gas will then flow out of the mixing container and bubble up through the water in the holding container, producing nitric acid. It may help to rest a small, heavy object, such as a book or piece of scrap wood, over the covering container to hold it down and keep it from bobbing as the escaping gas forces it upwards.

Method 2. Measure out 80 grams 2. The mixture of potassium nitrate and sulfuric acid tends to produce nitric acid with the highest degree of purity. Use a precision scale to portion out an exact quantity of nitrate salt. The curved surface and tapered mouth of the flask will prevent the evaporated nitric acid from escaping during the distillation process.

You can also use sodium or ammonium nitrate if you have them, though the purity of the resulting acid may be considerably lower. Add 60—65 millilitres 2. Pour the acid into the boiling flask using a plastic funnel. Set up an empty glass container and a condenser for distillation. Insert a still head with a glass stopper into the mouth of the boiling flask. Connect the angled stem of the stillhead to a condenser tube. Position the lower end of the condenser over the opening of the empty container.

Double-check that the stoppers on your distillation apparatus are secure. Heat the acid mixture for about 1 hour. Turn on your burner or hot plate, then sit back and watch the magic happen. As the acid mixture heats up, the nitrate salt and sulfuric acid will react to produce bisulfate and liquid nitric acid. The nitric acid will then be vaporized and move into the condenser, where it will cool into small droplets that will drain little-by-little into the empty container.

This is a normal side-effect of hydrogen dioxide contamination. The acid will still be pure enough to use for a variety of purposes.

Blow air on your nitric acid to test its purity. Take a length of rubber tubing or a plastic drinking straw and place one end inside the mouth of the boiling flask. Gently blow into the other end. As you blow, watch for the acid to give off wispy, pale yellow fumes. Doing so could cause severe irritation to your airways.

It may sound counterintuitive, but pure nitric acid can actually cause latex and nitrile to burst into flames! Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Always keep a first aid kit close at hand in your work area in case of unexpected mishaps. Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. Nitric acid is useful for initiating chemical reactions and producing many other chemical compounds in a laboratory setting.

The solid bits left behind will be low-purity copper, which you can use for other experiments. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Some of the procedures described here can be dangerous if not performed responsibly.