Nitric Acid Applications

Equip a 500 ml. three necked flask with a reflux condenser, a mercury-sealed mechanical stirrer and separator funnel, and support it on a water bath. Attach an absorption device (Fig. II, 8, 1, c) to the top of the condenser (1). Place 134 g. (152 ml.) of A.R, benzene and 127 g. of iodine in the flask, and heat the water bath to about 50° add 92 ml. of fuming nitric acid, sp. gr. 1-50, slowly from the separatory funnel during 30 minutes. Oxides of nitrogen are evolved in quantity. The temperature rises slowly without the application of heat until the mixture boils gently. When all the nitric acid has been introduced, reflux the mixture gently for 15 minutes. If iodine is still present, add more nitric acid to the warm solution until the purple colour (due to iodine) changes to brownish-red. 

Since the first application of turbocompressors (Figure 4-1) in large-scale production of nitric acid as a raw material for fertilizers, explosives, plastics, and a variety of other chemical products, the requirements on processes as well as on rotating equipment have become increasingly demanding. Environmental as well as economic considerations have heavily influenced the development of such plants. 

The principal applications of these plastics arose from their very good chemical resistance, as they are resistant to mineral acids, strong alkalis and most common solvents. They were, however, not recommended for use in conjunction with oxidising acids such as fuming nitric acid, fuming sulphuric acid or chlorosulphonic acid, with fluorine or with some chlorinated solvents, particularly at elevated temperatures. 

Flue gas treatment (FGT) is more effective in reducing NO, emissions than are combustion controls, although at higher cost. FGT is also useful where combustion controls are not applicable. Pollution prevention measures, such as using a high-pressure process in nitric acid plants, is more cost-effective in controlling NO, emissions. FGT technologies have been primarily developed and are most widely used in Japan. The techniques can be classified as selective catalytic reduction, selective noncatalytic reduction, and adsorption. 

In critical applications, if stainless steel is to be used near its limit (in terms of corrosion), and for cases such as welds, where a good finish cannot be otherwise achieved, additional passivation is required. Nitric acid (10-15 per cent by volume) is the best passivator. It also dissolves iron contamination. In circumstances where the use of nitric acid is not possible for safety or physical reasons (such as the underside of vessel roofs) passivation paste is appropriate. Both materials are used at ambient temperature and require a contact time of approximately 30 minutes. They must be removed by thorough rinsing with low chloride-content water. 

For special applications special silicon-bearing austenitic steels are produced by a few manufacturers. Silicon contents are 4-5-3% and there is a corresponding increase in nickel and very low (<0-015%) carbon. In the welded state these are giving good service in nitric acid of over 90% strength up to 75°C. 

For some chemical plant applications the iron content of the titanium employed can influence its behaviour, e.g. in some strengths of nitric acid, and in chlorine dioxide, preferential weld attack may occur if the iron... 

The main use of rhodium is with platinum in catalysts for oxidation of automobile exhaust emissions. In the chemical industry, it is used in catalysts for the manufacture of ethanoic acid, in hydroformylation of alkenes and the synthesis of nitric acid from ammonia. Many applications of iridium rely on... 

Uses. Since 1947, 70 to 85% of the annual USA production of nitric acid has gone into the production of NH4 nitrate fertilizer, initially in the form of solid prills currently, increasing amounts have been supplied mixed with excess ammonia and/or urea as aqueous nitrogen solution for direct application to the soil. Some 15% is used in explsj (nitrates nitro compds), and about 10% is consumed by the chemical industry. As the red fuming acid or as nitrogen tetroxide, nitric acid is used extensively as the oxidizer in proplnts for rocketry. It is estimated that current USA capacity for nitric acid is in excess of 10 million tons (Refs 30, 34, 36 37)... 

Another extremely important application area for FNA and RFNA is to either directly nitrate or be used in mixed acids to nitrate raw materials to yield widely used expls and proplnt ingredients (Refs 29,31,33,38 39). Also see under Nitration in this Vol Analytical. Analysis and assay procedures for nitric acid may be found in Refs 1, 2,10,11,15, 17, 27, 29, 34, 35, and in this Vol under Nitrogen Determinations in Energetic Materials. 

The application of the fluorescence derivatization technique in an HPLC method involves utilization of a post column reaction system (PCRS) as shown in Figure 3 to carry out the wet chemistry involved. The reaction is a 2-step process with oxidation of the toxins by periodate at pH 7.8 followed by acidification with nitric acid. Among the factors that influence toxin detection in the PCRS are periodate concentration, oxidation pH, oxidation temperature, reaction time, and final pH. By far, the most important of these factors is oxidation pH and, unfortunately, there is not one set of reaction conditions that is optimum for all of the PSP toxins. The reaction conditions outlined in Table I, while not optimized for any particular toxin, were developed to allow for adequate detection of all of the toxins involved. Care must be exercised in setting up an HPLC for the PSP toxins to duplicate the conditions as closely as possible to those specified in order to achieve consistent adequate detection limits. 

Action of bromine on acetylene, action of nitric acid on aromatic hydrocarbons. The accidents involving both reactions are very specific.They are the result of application of an unsuitable temperature. If it is too low, the reaction is too slow and causes an accumulation of reagent that is not converted and whose concentration increases, causing an acceleration of the reaction, i.e. a rise in temperature. The temperature then becomes too high and causes a more or less violent speeding-up of the reaction. 

The development of improved control instrumentation [e.g., of cathode location (placements), etc.] and many years of proven AP applications in the field have made AP the preferred method of controlling corrosion of uncoated steel equipment handling hot, concentrated sulfuric acid, stainless steel in even hotter exposures, and even steel in nitric acid. 

To fully exploit the advantage of nitric acid, pressure decomposition systems have to be used that permit application of HNO3 at temperatures above the boiling point. Temperatures above 300 °C are required for complete digestion of organic materials with HNO3 alone in closed systems. 

Applications A method for multi-element determination of major elements in commercial and in-house prepared polymer/additive formulations by MIP-AES after microwave digestion with nitric acid has been reported [212], The precision obtained varied between 2 and 4.5 %, depending on the element determined. 

Hinchley (1975) discusses the design and operation of waste heat boilers for chemical plant. Both fire tube and water tube boilers are used. A typical arrangement of a water tube boiler on a reformer furnace is shown in Figure 3.12 and a fire tube boiler in Figure 3.13. The application of a waste-heat boiler to recover energy from the reactor exit streams in a nitric acid plant is shown in Figure 3.14. 

Synthetic rubbers are also used for particular applications. Hypalon (trademark, E. I. du Pont de Nemours) has a good resistance to strongly oxidising chemicals and can be used with nitric acid. It is unsuitable for use with chlorinated solvents. Viton (trademark, E. I. du Pont de Nemours) has a better resistance to solvents, including chlorinated solvents, than other rubbers. Both Hypalon and Viton are expensive, compared with other synthetic, and natural, rubbers. 

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