Nitric Acid
Nitric Acid (HNO3) a very important chemical used in making fertilizers, explosives, and other industrial needs. OK, lets get straight to the point; you need to have it, right? I have been researching, and I found a way to make it at home. Using the Birkeland Eyde Process, this process uses high voltage and water to produce nitric acid. Well this process was used during World War 2 to produce nitric acid for explosives and fertilizers before the Ostwald process. The production of nitric oxide (NO) is the first step; this gas is produce in the heat of the arc, (yes, the heat is responsible of making this gas).
N2 + O2 =HEAT=> 2NO (nitric oxide)
Amount of NO gas by volume |
Temperature |
2% |
2300°C |
6% |
3300°C |
Nitric oxide then oxidize
2NO + O2 => 2NO2 (nitrogen dioxide)
Producing Nitrogen Dioxide
Here are some videos from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I7wnMDM1wc, I also tried it, well high voltage arcs does make nitrogen dioxide.
Table 1.2
| NO concentration in air (ppm) | Time required of NO to oxidize in air (min) |
| 20,000 | 0.175 |
| 10,000 | 0.35 |
| 1,000 | 3.5 |
| 100 | 35 |
| 10 | 350 |
| 1 | 3,500 |
The more NO gas present in air the faster it will oxidize.
3NO2 + H2O => 2HNO3 + NO
Nitrogen dioxide reacts with water to produce Nitric Acid
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