Hi everyone,
I want to synthesize ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), based on NH4OH + HNO3 → NH4NO3+H2O For this purpose, the mixture of nitric acid ( 65wt% in water) and ammonium hydroxide solution (NH4OH , 28wt% NH3 in water) should be made. I have some doubts about the calculation of the required amount of Ammonium solution. Should we choose NH4OH or NH3 as a reactant? If we choose NH4OH, we don’t have its concentration in water, because 28wt% is NH3 concentration.
Hi Armin Rezayan , you can just calculate with NH3 according to the equation HNO3 + NH3 → NH4NO3. As you may know, NH4OH exists only on paper but is not a real compounds which can be isolated.
The reaction will generate much heat and remember when 'isolating' that it can decompose into a large volume of gas (explode)
Hi again Armin Rezayan, although it was not part of the question, I strongly agree with Paul Milham who raised two very important points. The neutralization reaction between concentrated nitric acid and ammonia is highly exothermic. For safety reasons you should dilute the acid with water and work only with small amounts. Also take care not to overheat the solid ammonium nitrate because it can be dangerously explosive. In the history of chemical industry, various disastrous explosions have occurred with ammonium nitrate.
Perhaps of some interest to this query ― About ammonia gas scrubbing with nitric acid at this forum ― addressing heat of dilution and enthalpy balance: https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_heat_reaction_for_Ammonia_gas_scrubbing_in_60_nitric_acid_solution
Perhaps of some interest to this query:
The pH of pure ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) aq. sol. can be predicted as that for pure ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) aq. sol.; hence as I have shown at:
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What-exactly-does-adjusting-8mM-Ammonium-Chloride-to-solutions-of-pH-of-9-and-10-mean/1
The pH of not too concentrate ammonia / ammonium nitrate (NH4OH / NH4NO3) aq. sol. can be predicted as that for not too concentrate ammonia / ammonium chloride (NH4OH / NH4Cl) aq. sol., hence as I have shown elsewhere at this forum:
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Can-anyone-suggest-a-protocol-to-prepare-a-buffer-of-NH3-NH4Cl-with-pH-10
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