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Oreld Hadilberg

How is nitric acid manufactured by the Ostwald process?

Dick Hughes  Follow

Nitic acid is stored in teflon lined plastic containers. Yes.

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David Hawley  Follow

It’s a multi-stage process that involves converting ammonia (NH3) to nitric acid. Initially the ammonia is oxidised to nitric oxide by heating it with oxygen in the presence of a platinum catalyst at 230 °C under 4 to 10 standard atmospheres of pressure (the reaction is strongly exothermic, so once the reaction has started, it is self-sustaining as long as the reactants continue to be fed in).

4 NH3 (g) + 5 O2 (g) → 4 NO (g) + 6 H2O (g)

The nitric oxide is then oxidised again in stage two, to create nitrogen dioxide NO2 - this is then dissolved in water to create the desired end product:

2 NO (g) + O2 (g)→ 2 NO2 (g)

3 NO2 (g) + H2O (l) → 2 HNO3 (aq) + NO (g)

The NO left over can be recycled and the nitric acid distilled to the required concentration. Alternatively, if the reaction is carried out in air rather than in a water absorption vessel, the following reaction occurs

4 NO2 (g) + O2 (g) + 2 H2O (l) → 4 HNO3 (aq)

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