Author	Topic:   what kind of gas?
sharky Frequent Poster	posted July 26, 1999 05:43 PM             I was trying to make nitric acid from distilling sulfuric acid and potassium nitrate. I heated it but nothing happened so after about five mitutes i said srew it and dumped the H2S04/p.n. mixture down the sink. I heard a distinct hissing sound and brown/red gas started coming out. I assume it was nitrogen dioxide, but are there any other possibilities as to what this was?
poison Frequent Poster	posted July 26, 1999 05:53 PM             If you had somthing to distill with like a glass tube with like some swirles in it and a glass end plug just put one end into the end plug and one end into another glass jar and you could of made nitric im pritty sure the gas was nitric acid but use all glass setup like mega said before cuz nitric don't like rubber or cork. Oh yeah it wasn't smart to dump it down your sink you could burn holes threw the piping . I hope this helped. -pois
Saiyan Knight Frequent Poster	posted July 26, 1999 08:56 PM          The gas was nitrogen dioxide. Try this method of making nitric acid. Place two parts by volume( teaspoon, tablespoon, etc) of any purified nitrate mineral( potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate,etc.) in a clean narrow necked glass bottle or jug. Add one part by volume concentrated sulfuric acid to the nitrate compound. Do not fill the bottle or jug more than a 1/4 way full. Swirl the bottle gently to make sure the sulfuric acid has mix with the nitrate compound. Obtain another narrow necked glass bottle or jug the same size and tape(with masking or electrical tape) the two bottles or jugs together at the mouths of the bottles or jugs. Be sure that the mouths of the bottles or jugs are flush against each other and that there are no air spaces. Support the bottles or jugs on rocks or cans so that the empty recieving bottle or jug is slightly at a lower angle but not so much that the mixture from the bottle will run into the recieving bottle or jug. Build a fire in a pot or frying pan. Gently heat the bottle or jug containing the mixture by moving the fire in and out from under it. As red fumes (Nitrogen Dioxide) begin to appear and move into the recieving bottle or jug, pour cold ice water over the recieving bottle or jug. Nitric acid will begin to form in the recieving bottle or jug. Do not overheat or wet the bottle or jug containing the mixture or it may shatter. Continue the process until no more red fumes continue to form in the bottle or jug containing the mixture. Remove the tape from the bottles or jugs by holding them together at the neckes being careful not to spill the remaining mixture into the nitric acid. Store nitric acid with in a dark cool place in a glass container with a acid resistance cap. Note: This Nitric acid is highly concentrated and is sutible for the preparation of nearly all explosives requiring a high nitric acid concentration including RDX and PETN. But for one wishing to use it to make RDX or PETN, add a little urea or 45-0-0 fertilizer to the acid and blow dry air over it until the acid loses its red tint.
megalomania Administrator	posted July 28, 1999 12:10 PM             It is OK to dump concentrated acid down the drain as long as you do so with large volumes of water, ie run the tap and slowly pour it out. ------------------ Visit Megalomania's Explosives and Stuff at http://surf.to/megalomania

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Version 5.38
© Madrona Park, Inc., 1998 - 1999.