Nitric acid synthesis

Nitric acid synthesis, platinum-group metal catalysts in, 19 621 Nitric acid wet spinning process, 11 189 Nitric oxide (NO), 13 791-792. See also Nitrogen oxides (NOJ affinity for ruthenium, 19 638—639 air pollutant, 1 789, 796 cardioprotection role, 5 188 catalyst poison, 5 257t chemistry of, 13 443—444 control of, 26 691—692 effect on ozone depletion, 17 785 mechanism of action in muscle cells, 5 109, 112-113 oxidation of, 17 181 in photochemical smog, 1 789, 790 reduction with catalytic aerogels, l 763t, 764... 

In nitric acid synthesis from methane the synthesis of H2 has a yield of 90%, NH3 90%, NO 90%, N2O5 90%, HNO3 90%. What is the yield of HNO3 synthesis from CH4, and how many pounds of CFI4 are required to produce a pound of HNO3 ... 

In the Dupont process, cyclohexane is reacted with air at 150 °C and 10 atm pressure in the presence of a soluble cobalt(II) salt (naphthenate or stearate). The conversion is limited to 8-10% in order to prevent consecutive oxidation of the ol-one mixture. Nonconverted cyclohexane is recycled to the oxidation reactor. Combined yields of ol-one mixture are 70-80%.83,84,555 The ol-one mixture is sent to another oxidation reactor where oxidation by nitric acid is performed at 70-80 °C by nitric acid (45-50%) in the presence of a mixture of Cu(N03)2 and NH4V03 catalysts, which increase the selectivity of the reaction. The reaction is complete in a few minutes and adipic acid precipitates from the reaction medium. The adipic acid yield is about 90%. Nitric acid oxidation produces gaseous products, mainly nitric oxides, which are recycled to a nitric acid synthesis unit. Some nitric acid is lost to products such as N2 and N20 which are not recovered. 

We have already discussed the work of May Leslie on the improvement of nitric acid synthesis (see Chap. 5), first at H. M. Factory, Litherland, Liverpool, then at H. M. Factory in Penrhyndeudraeth, North Wales.45 Isabel Hadfield was consigned to research chemical problems relating to aeronautics (see Chap. 2). In addition, we know that towards the end of the war, Millicent Taylor was appointed to H. M. Factory, Oldbury, as a research chemist.46 It seems likely that other explosives factories also employed women chemists, but they were not documented. 

The scope of the review is therefore essentially related to the two industrially used processes, the nitric acid synthesis and the Andrussow hydrogen cyanide process. Both these processes have been in large-scale use for several decades but basic understanding of the relevant physics, chemistry, and engineering is still incomplete. 

If similar processes could be developed at energy conversion efficiency levels that are comparable to the present day SMR-based NH3 synthesis plants, then it would be possible to realize a major reduction in the production costs of ammonia-borane complex. We note that a concept similar to that discussed above has already been developed for nitric acid synthesis process based on boron nitride analogous to the Haber-Bosch route for nitric acid production from NH3. Finally, recent results have shown that unusual parallel behavior exists between hydrocarbons and their corresponding B-N analogues. Thus, hydrogenation of benzene to cyclohexane may also provide a model for the reformation of borazine to other amine-boranes. 

Industrial fertilizer synthesis starts from ammonia synthesis, and ammonia is then easily oxidized in a separate reactor to nitric oxide over PtRh wire gauze catalyst. Formation of nitric acid requires further oxidation of nitric oxide to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and absorption of the nitrogen dioxide in water. Overall, three different chemical process plants are used for the synthesis of nitric acid. The ammonia synthesis reaction takes place in a high-tem-perature, high-pressure reactor that requires recycling of products due to the thermodynamic limitations of chanical conversion. The ammonia oxidation reaction is very fast and takes place over a very small reactor length. Finally, nitric acid synthesis takes place in absorption columns. 

B) Design a process to produce a HNO3/H2O solution from methane, water, and air. That is, design a process to produce ammonia, and then use the ammonia to produce nitric acid. Do not simply copy the ammonia process developed in Chapter . The ammonia process can be improved when integrated with the nitric acid synthesis. Specifically,... 

Substance Melting ptfC) Boiling ptfC) Methane burner Ammonia synthesis Nitric acid synthesis... 

Similarly, H2 in the nitric acid synthesis reactor will be consumed by reaction with O2. Thus it is wasteful to admit O2 to the methane burner or H2 to the nitric acid synthesis reactor. If you choose to do so, be sure the waste can be justified, for example, because doing so eliminates a process unit. 

Quality Specifications. Because of the extreme sensitivity of polyamide synthesis to impurities ia the iagredients (eg, for molecular-weight control, dye receptivity), adipic acid is one of the purest materials produced on a large scale. In addition to food-additive and polyamide specifications, other special requirements arise from the variety of other appHcations. Table 8 summarizes the more important specifications. Typical impurities iaclude monobasic acids arising from the air oxidation step ia synthesis, and lower dibasic acids and nitrogenous materials from the nitric acid oxidation step. Trace metals, water, color, and oils round out the usual specification Hsts. 

Ammonia from coal gasification has been used for fertilizer production at Sasol since the beginning of operations in 1955. In 1964 a dedicated coal-based ammonia synthesis plant was brought on stream. This plant has now been deactivated, and is being replaced with a new faciUty with three times the production capacity. Nitric acid is produced by oxidation and is converted with additional ammonia into ammonium nitrate fertilizers. The products are marketed either as a Hquid or in a soHd form known as Limestone Ammonium Nitrate. Also, two types of explosives are produced from ammonium nitrate. The first is a mixture of fuel oil and porous ammonium nitrate granules. The second type is produced by emulsifying small droplets of ammonium nitrate solution in oil. 

Other possible chemical synthesis routes for lactic acid include base-cataly2ed degradation of sugars oxidation of propylene glycol reaction of acetaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and water at elevated temperatures and pressures hydrolysis of chloropropionic acid (prepared by chlorination of propionic acid) nitric acid oxidation of propylene etc. None of these routes has led to a technically and economically viable process (6). 

Nitrates. Iron(II) nitrate hexahydrate [14013-86-6], Fe(N03)2 6H20, is a green crystalline material prepared by dissolving iron in cold nitric acid that has a specific gravity of less than 1.034 g/cm. Use of denser, more concentrated acid leads to oxidation to iron(III). An alternative method of preparation is the reaction of iron(II) sulfate and barium or lead nitrate. The compound is very soluble in water. Crystallisation at temperatures below — 12°C affords an nonahydrate. Iron(II) nitrate is a useful reagent for the synthesis of other iron-containing compounds and is used as a catalyst for reduction reactions. 

Mercuric Nitrate. Mercuric nitrate [10045-94-0] Hg(N02)2, is a colorless dehquescent crystalline compound prepared by the exothermic dissolution of mercury in hot, concentrated nitric acid. The reaction is complete when a cloud of mercurous chloride is not formed when the solution is treated with sodium chloride solution. The product crystallizes upon cooling. Mercuric nitrate is used in organic synthesis as the starting material and for the formulation of a great many other mercuric products. 

Nitration of a series of methyl-1,2-benzisoxazoles was studied by Tahkar and Bhawal using fuming nitric acid and sulfuric acid in acetic acid at 100 °C. 3-Methyl-1,2-benzisoxazole gave a mixture of 5-nitro- and 5,7-dinitro-3-methyl-l,2-benzisoxazole, with the 5-nitro isomer predominant. The product obtained from 3,5-dimethyl-1,2-benzisoxazole was the 4-nitro derivative and not the 7-nitro compound as proposed by Lindemann (26LA(449)63). The synthesis of the 7-nitro compound by an alternative method was used as structural proof. Two products were obtained from 3,6-dimethyl-l,2-benzisoxazole and these were the 5-nitro and 5,7-dinitro derivatives. 3,7-Dimethyl-l,2-benzisoxazole was converted into the 5-nitro derivative (Scheme 25) (77lJC(B)l06l). 

Ammonium nitrate is manufactured by reacting ammonia with nitric acid. Consider the process shown by Fig. 9.19. First, namral gas is reformed and converted into hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Hydrogen and nitrogen are separated an fed to the ammonia synthesis plant. A fraction of the produced ammonia is employed in nitric acid formation. Ammonia is first oxidized with compressed air then absorbed in water to form nitric acid. Finally nitric acid is reacted with anunonia to oduce ammonium nitrate. 

We have noted above that benzocrowns may be nitrated quite readily. This approach was used in the formation of a photoresponsive bis-crown (see Sect. 3.8) wherein the nitrobenzo crowns reductively dimerize to the corresponding azobenzene. Kikukawa, Nagira and Matsuda have utilized 4-nitrobenzo-15-crown-5 in a somewhat different way during the synthesis of 4 -vinylbenzo-l 5-crown-5Nitration is effected using nitric acid in a mbcture of chloroform and acetic acid. 

A number of other syntheses of coniine have been effected, of which that of Diels and Alder is of special interest. The initial adduct of pyridine and methyl acetylenedicarboxylate, viz., tetraraethylquinolizine-1 2 3 4-tetracarboxylate (IX) on oxidation with dilute nitric acid is converted into methyl indolizinetricarboxylate (X). This, on hydrolysis and decarboxylation, furnishes indolizine, the octahydro-derivative (XI) of which, also known as octahydropyrrocoline, is converted by the cyanogen bromide method (as applied by Winterfeld and Holschneider to lupinane, p. 123) successively into the broraocyanoamide (XII), cyanoaraide (XIII) and dZ-coniine (XIV). A synthesis of the alkaloid, starting from indolizine (pyrrocoline) is described by Ochiai and Tsuda. ... 

Hydroxylamine can be prepared by a variety of reactions involving the reduction of nitrites, nitric acid or NO, or by the acid hydrolysis of nitroalkanes. In the conventional Raschig synthesis, an aqueous solution of NH4NO2 is reduced with HS04 /S02 at 0° to give the hydroxylamido-A ,A -disulfate anion which is then hydrolysed stepwise to hydroxylammonium sulfate ... 

The immediate outcome of the Hantzsch synthesis is the dihydropyridine which requires a subsequent oxidation step to generate the pyridine core. Classically, this has been accomplished with nitric acid. Alternative reagents include oxygen, sodium nitrite, ferric nitrate/cupric nitrate, bromine/sodium acetate, chromium trioxide, sulfur, potassium permanganate, chloranil, DDQ, Pd/C and DBU. More recently, ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) has been found to be an efficient reagent to carry out this transformation. When 100 was treated with 2 equivalents of CAN in aqueous acetone, the reaction to 101 was complete in 10 minutes at room temperature and in excellent yield. 

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