Problems Nitric acid

Phosphoric acid [7664-38-2] is rarely used because of cost and disposal problems. Nitric acid [7697-37-2] is to be avoided because it is known to cause catastrophic damage to resin, equipment, and personnel if appropriate controls and monitoring systems are not installed. 

Problem Nitric acid is a major chemical in the fertilizer and explosives industries. In aqueous solution, each molecule dissociates and the H becomes a solvated ion. What is the molarity of in 1.4 A/ nitric acid ... 

Problem Nitric acid, whose worldwide annual production is nearly 10 billion kilograms, is used to make many products, including fertilizers, dyes, and explosives. The first step in the production process is the oxidation of ammonia ... 

To solve some of the environmental problems of mixed-acid nitration, we were able to replaee sulfuric acid with solid superacid catalysts. This allowed us to develop a novel, clean, azeotropic nitration of aromatics with nitric acid over solid perfluorinated sulfonic acid catalysts (Nafion-H). The water formed is continuously azeotroped off by an excess of aromatics, thus preventing dilution of acid. Because the disposal of spent acids of nitration represents a serious environmental problem, the use of solid aeid eatalysts is a significant improvement. 

It was from studies of nitration with solutions of nitric acid in nitromethane, and later in acetic acid, that Ingold and his co-workers first established the fundamental features of these reactions, and also correctly interpreted them. The use in these experiments of a large excess of nitric acid removed the problem caused by the formation of water. 

The practical problems He ia the separatioa of the chlorine from the hydrogea chloride and nitrous gases. The dilute nitric acid must be reconcentrated and corrosion problems are severe. Suggested improvements iaclude oxidation of concentrated solutions of chlorides, eg, LiCl, by nitrates, followed by separation of chlorine from nitrosyl chloride by distillation at 135°C, or oxidation by a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acids, separating the... 

Nitric Phosphate. About 15% of worldwide phosphate fertilizer production is by processes that are based on solubilization of phosphate rock with nitric acid iastead of sulfuric or phosphoric acids (64). These processes, known collectively as nitric phosphate or nitrophosphate processes are important, mainly because of the iadependence from sulfur as a raw material and because of the freedom from the environmental problem of gypsum disposal that accompanies phosphoric acid-based processes. These two characteristics are expected to promote eventual iacrease ia the use of nitric phosphate processes, as sulfur resources diminish and/or environmental restrictions are tightened. 

Other acids, eg, hydrochloric or nitric acid, are more seldom used because of higher costs and corrosion problems. 

Whereas addition of hydrogen to feedwater helps solve the O2 or ECP problem, other complications develop. An increase in shutdown radiation levels and up to a fivefold increase in operating steam plant radiation levels result from the increased volatiUty of the short-Hved radioactive product nitrogen-16, N, (7.1 s half-life) formed from the coolant passing through the core. Without H2 addition, the in the fluid leaving the reactor core is in the form of nitric acid, HNO with H2 addition, the forms ammonia, NH, which is more volatile than HNO, and thus is carried over with the steam going to the turbine. 

Air pollution (qv) problems are characteri2ed by their scale and the types of pollutants involved. Pollutants are classified as being either primary, that is emitted direcdy, or secondary, ie, formed in the atmosphere through chemical or physical processes. Examples of primary pollutants are carbon monoxide [630-08-0] (qv), CO, lead [7439-92-1] (qv), Pb, chlorofluorocarbons, and many toxic compounds. Notable secondary pollutants include o2one [10028-15-6] (qv), O, which is formed in the troposphere by reactions of nitrogen oxides (NO ) and reactive organic gases (ROG), and sulfuric and nitric acids. 

Nitrobacter, an aerobic bacterium, can materially depress pH by oxidizing nitrite (NO2 ) to nitrate (NOa ), in effect producing nitric acid. Acidity may increase until pH is between 3 and 5. Such bacteria require high concentrations of oxygen and cause problems only in oxygenated systems. 

Starting up the turbocompressor installation of a nitric acid plant does not present a problem. As mentioned earlier, during the startup phase the expander is not able to contribute any power. Accordingly, electric motor drivers must initially provide power in excess of the nominal operational rating. 

Problem 2.11 Nitric acid (HN03) reacts with ammonia (NH3) to yield ammonium nitrate. Write the reaction, and identify the acid, the base, the conjugate acid product, and the conjugate base product. 

Nitric acid is also useful as an oxidant for the formation of sulphate from sulphones. Two such methods have been developed, firstly the established AOAC method which involves oxidation with a mixture of nitric acid and bromine221, and secondly the Carius method222. The latter is probably the oldest method used for the determination of sulphones as sulphate. This oxidation procedure involves heating the sulphone with concentrated nitric acid and sodium chloride at 280-300 °C in a sealed tube. The traditional method as described is prone to explosions. This problem may be alleviated by using less nitric acid whilst employing an oxygen atmosphere2 23,224. The Carius method is slower than the other oxidation methods described above but it usually yields the best results. 

One problem that should be of particular interest for separation processes is the identification and kinetic characterization of the reactive radicals that occur when strong nitric acid solutions are subject to ionizing radiation. The important reducing radical in such solutions is the H atom. There are presently no direct measurements of the rate of reduction of H atoms with any Pu oxidation state. 

Micro-pipetting instruments such as the "Eppendorf or "Oxford pipettors with disposable plastic cone tips are customarily employed to dispense the liquid samples into electrothermal atomizers. Sampling problems which are associated with the use of these pipettors are among the troublesome aspects of electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (67,75). The plastic cone-tips are frequently contaminated with metals, and they should invariably be cleaned before use by soaking in dilute "ultra pure nitric acid, followed by multiple rinses with demineralized water which has been distilled in a quartz still. 

Traditionally, aromatic nitrations have been performed with mixtures of concentrated nitric and sulphuric acids leading to considerable effluent problems associated with the spent acid. A heterogeneous alternative for. sulphuric acid has been reported (Bertea et al., 1995), namely dealuminated Mordenite, which is sufficiently robust to be able to catalyse the vapour-phase nitration of benzene with 65% aqueous nitric acid. 

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