Potassium nitrate products

Potassium Nitrate production for tobacco fertilizer and industrial markets. 

The potassium nitrate production capacities for the main producing countries in 1997 are given in Table 2.2-11. 

Table 2.2-11. Potassium Nitrate Production Capacities in the Main Producing Countries in 1997 in 1031.

The preparation of a number of miscellaneous acids is described. m-Nitrobenzoic acid. Although m-nitrobenzoic acid is the main product of the direct nitration of benzoic acid with potassium nitrate and concentrated sulphuric acid, the complete separation of the small quantity of the attendant para isomer is a laborious process. It is preferable to nitrate methyl benzoate and hydrolyse the resulting methyl w-nitrobenzoate, which is easily obtained in a pure condition ... 

Black Powder. Black powder is mainly used as an igniter for nitrocellulose gun propellant, and to some extent in safety blasting fuse, delay fuses, and in firecrackers. Potassium nitrate black powder (74 wt %, 15.6 wt % carbon, 10.4 wt % sulfur) is used for military appHcations. The slower-burning, less cosdy, and more hygroscopic sodium nitrate black powder (71.0 wt %, 16.5 wt % carbon, 12.5 wt % sulfur) is used industrially. The reaction products of black powder are complex (Table 12) and change with the conditions of initia tion, confinement, and density. The reported thermochemical and performance characteristics vary greatly and depend on the source of material, its physical form, and the method of determination. Typical values are Hsted in Table 13. 

Potassium Nitrate. Potassium nitrate, known but Httle used as a fertilizer for many years, may be reclaimed as a by-product of the production of sodium nitrate from natural deposits of caflche in Chile. KNO also has been produced by the double decomposition reaction between sodium nitrate and potassium chloride ... 

The U.S. domestic commercial potassium nitrate of the 1990s contains 13.9% N, 44.1% I+O, 0—1.8% Cl, 0.1% acid insoluble, and 0.08% moisture. The material is manufactured by Vicksburg Chemical Co. using a process developed by Southwest Potash Division of AMAX Corp. This process uses highly concentrated nitric acid to catalyze the oxidation of by-product nitrosyl chloride and hydrogen chloride to the mote valuable chlorine (68). The much simplified overall reaction is... 

Potassium nitrate is being used increasingly on intensive crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, leafy vegetables, citms, and peaches. The properties that make it particularly desirable for these crops are low salt index, nitrate nitrogen, favorable N K20 ratio, negligible CU content, and alkaline residual reaction in the soil. The low hygroscopicity of KNO (Table 9) leads to its use in direct appHcation and in mixtures. It is an excellent fertilizer but the high cost of production limits its use to specialty fertilizers. 

The highly exothermic nature of the butane-to-maleic anhydride reaction and the principal by-product reactions require substantial heat removal from the reactor. Thus the reaction is carried out in what is effectively a large multitubular heat exchanger which circulates a mixture of 53% potassium nitrate [7757-79-1/, KNO 40% sodium nitrite [7632-00-0], NaN02 and 7% sodium nitrate [7631-99-4], NaNO. Reaction tube diameters are kept at a minimum 25—30 mm in outside diameter to faciUtate heat removal. Reactor tube lengths are between 3 and 6 meters. The exothermic heat of reaction is removed from the salt mixture by the production of steam in an external salt cooler. Reactor temperatures are in the range of 390 to 430°C. Despite the rapid circulation of salt on the shell side of the reactor, catalyst temperatures can be 40 to 60°C higher than the salt temperature. The butane to maleic anhydride reaction typically reaches its maximum efficiency (maximum yield) at about 85% butane conversion. Reported molar yields are typically 50 to 60%. 

Some reactors are designed specifically to withstand an explosion (14). The multitube fixed-bed reactors typically have ca 2.5-cm inside-diameter tubes, and heat from the highly exothermic oxidation reaction is removed by a circulating molten salt. This salt is a eutectic mixture of sodium and potassium nitrate and nitrite. Care must be taken in reactor design and operation because fires can result if the salt comes in contact with organic materials at the reactor operating temperature (15). Reactors containing over 20,000 tubes with a 45,000-ton annual production capacity have been constmcted. 

Potassium Nitrate. Potassium nitrate [7757-79-17, KNO, is produced commercially in the United States based on the reaction of potassium chloride and nitric acid (qv) (35). Ammonia (qv) oxidation is the source for the nitric acid and the reaction is manipulated chemically to yield chlorine as a co-product. The process is operated at an elevated temperature to drive the reaction to completion according to the following equation ... 

Gas-phase oxidation of propylene using oxygen in the presence of a molten nitrate salt such as sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, or lithium nitrate and a co-catalyst such as sodium hydroxide results in propylene oxide selectivities greater than 50%. The principal by-products are acetaldehyde, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and acrolein (206—207). This same catalyst system oxidizes propane to propylene oxide and a host of other by-products (208). 

Sodium nitrate is also used in formulations of heat-transfer salts for he at-treatment baths for alloys and metals, mbber vulcanization, and petrochemical industries. A mixture of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate is used to capture solar energy (qv) to transform it into electrical energy. The potential of sodium nitrate in the field of solar salts depends on the commercial development of this process. Other uses of sodium nitrate include water (qv) treatment, ice melting, adhesives (qv), cleaning compounds, pyrotechnics, curing bacons and meats (see Food additives), organics nitration, certain types of pharmaceutical production, refining of some alloys, recovery of lead, and production of uranium. 

A number of products are being marketed under the trade name POLYON. These include coated basic fertilizer materials, ie, urea, potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate, potassium chloride, ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, and iron sulfate, in various particle sizes. Coatings weights on urea vary from 1.5 to 15%, depending on the release duration desired. Table 6 Hsts typical products. 

Upon nitration of phthalazines a nitro group is introduced only into the carbocyclic ring. Side reactions occur frequently. For example, nitration of phthalazine or its 1-methyl analog with potassium nitrate in concentrated sulfuric acid gives the 5-nitro derivative (100) as the main product together with 5-nitrophthalazin-l(2H)-one (101) as a by-producf (Scheme 27). 

Lead is not generally attacked rapidly by salt solutions (especially the salts of the acids to which it is resistant). The action of nitrates and salts such as potassium and sodium chloride may be rapid. In potassium chloride the corrosion rate increases with concentration to a maximum in 0.05m solution, decreases with a higher concentration, and increases again in 2m solution. Only loosely adherent deposits are formed. In potassium bromide adherent deposits are formed, and the corrosion rate increases with concentration. The attack in potassium iodide is slow in concentrations up to 0.1m but in concentrated solutions rapid attack occurs, probably owing to the formation of soluble KPblj. In dilute potassium nitrate solutions (0.001 m and below) the corrosion product is yellow and is probably a mixture of Pb(OH)2 and PbO, which is poorly adherent. At higher concentrations the corrosion product is more adherent and corrosion is somewhat reduced Details of the corrosion behaviour of lead in various solutions of salts are given in Figure 4.16. 

Circulating liquor Production of uniform crystals (smaller size than circulating magma). High throughputs. Gypsum, inorganic salts, sodium and potassium nitrates, silver nitrates... 

The raw materials potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulphur are first brought to a fine condition. Potassium nitrate must be ground by itself, but the charcoal and sulphur may be ground together or separately according to individual requirements. This grinding is frequently carried out in steel ball mills. The products are then sieved to remove any oversize or extraneous matter. 

A novel, mild system for the direct nitration of calixarenes has been developed using potassium nitrate and aluminum chloride at low temperature. The side products of decomposition formed under conventional conditions are not observed in this system, and the p-nitro-calixarenes are isolated in 75-89% yields.17 Such Friedel-Crafts-type nitration using nitryl chloride and aluminum chloride affords a convenient system for aromatic nitration.18 Nitryl chloride was previously prepared either by the oxidation of nitrosyl chloride or by the reaction of chlorosulfonic acid with nitric acid. However, these procedures are inconvenient and dangerous. Recently, a mixture of sodium nitrate and trimethysilyl chloride (TMSC1) has been developed as a convenient method for the in situ generation of nitryl chloride (Eq. 2.6). 

Nitration of 206 with a mixture of potassium nitrate and sulfuric acid yielded a mixture of dinitro derivative 240 and oxidation product 46. Heating 206 with sodium borohydride led to hydrolysis to 208 rather than to any reduction product. On the other hand, reduction with zinc in cold acetic acid provided dihydro derivative 241, whereas catalytic hydrogenation over palladium on carbon provided tetrahydro derivative 242 (Scheme 59) [90JCS(P 1) 1463]. 

Fig. 3.9 The positive effect of nitrogen fertilizer (potassium nitrate) on the growth and productivity of transgenic sprouts (A.) The growth rate, measured as the increase in fresh weight during sprouting.

Potassium iodide, 20 634 Potassium ions, 20 597, 598, 641 in soap-water system, 22 727 Potassium isotopes, 20 598 Potassium magnesium sulfate, 20 626 Potassium manganate(V), 15 592 Potassium manganate(VI), 15 594-596 Potassium metal, 20 604 production of, 20 600 reducing power of, 20 599 Potassium muds, 9 4 Potassium niobate, 17 152-153 Potassium nitrate, 20 609, 634-636 solubility of, 20 636t uses of, 20 636... 

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