Making Nitric Acid

1
Making Nitric Acid
2
Step 1

• burn ammonia in air (around 1200C)
• platinum catalyst
• exothermic
• makes nitrogen oxides, mostly NO2
• 2NH3 3O2 è 2NO2 2H2O

3
Step 2

• dissolve nitrogen oxides in water to make nitric
  acid
• NO2 H2O è HNO3

4
Flow diagram
5
Uses

• Nitric acid used for making fertilisers
• nitric acid ammonia è ammonium nitrate
• Potassium hydroxide nitric acid è potassium
  nitrate
• Ammonium nitrate is also dangerously explosive
  and is the basis of several explosive mixtures.