31 replies to this topic

[YT2095]

if you`re a UKer your fortunate it didn`t get damp (care to share your secret? )
I`ve never had any joy with the stuff myself, It`s not so much the clumping as it never seems to get dry enough to do that it`s always just a little damp, and on bad RH days it can even wet surfaces if left out.

yes NaOH will indeed get quite toasty when you add it to water, in fact if you add too much at once to too small a quantity of water it will even Boil!
the AN will more than counter that though

in fact an interesting trick is to get some in the bottom of a vessel, boil a kettle, pour the water in, wait a few seconds to say Abracadabra, and then put your hand in it, the heat is lost almost instantly and leaves you with a soln just under room temp.

looks really scary, but quite harmless.

and BTW, DON`T do this unless you know EXACTLY what you`re doing! and NEVER EVER show this to a child!

Edited by YT2095, 14 August 2007 - 05:15 PM.

[pyroman89]

I'am from Canada and tell you the truth there is no secret. Nothing gets clumped together where i'am, not even damp for me it all stays dry. I even put some in my mini fridge(non food fridge) it got damp, but I took it out with the lid off and then I left and it was dry again when I came back to it. But I still would like to know how to make sure it never gets damp because I already know it does go damp but doesnt stay damp, I still want to make sure it will never go damp.

Thank you

[YT2095]

there`s nothing you can do to change that I`m afraid, it`s the nature of the compound to do that.
using Potassium Nitrate instead will get rid off most the issues, and it`s easy enough to make the Sodium Yellow color at a latter date if that`s what you wanted, in fact it`s annoyingly easy to do, Sodium is a very strong color when ionised to higher energy state.

[pyroman89]

Well its not to point that I want the yellow, I want to make more of the rocket comp I used before. It is showed on my post about new wheels. Any thank you for all the help.

[senior pyro]

can you substitute ammonium nitrate for potassium nitrate if your making the smoke b**b that uses sugar, potassium nitrate and baking powder?

[Richard H]

Surely a 'senior pyro' would not need to ask?

[EnigmaticBiker]

Surely a 'senior pyro' would not need to ask?

The inverse name phenomenon...

[YT2095]

can you substitute ammonium nitrate for potassium nitrate if your making the smoke b**b that uses sugar, potassium nitrate and baking powder?

No.

[they say im crazy]

I found a supplier of nitric acid at 70% conc. (saftey wear is essential) but its great for making nano3 nh4no3 and kno3 as im sure you know you simply add the hydroxide of your salt to the acid a bit at a time and keep going untill the ph is around 7 then leave it to evaporate (i don't boil as this often makes the salt decompose) just ask me for the supplier if you want
i hope this helps you in your quest for making kno3 e.t.c

[YT2095]

What a Frakin` Waste!

[Arthur Brown]

KNO3 can be bought over the counter, or by mail. NH4NO3 takes more finding in hobby packs or bulk because there is the slight chance that it can be used for non-friendly purposes.

Trade your NH4NO3 for KNO3 dont get involved with chemicals and processes that may not be safe and may not be 100% stoichemetric yield

[Gazza]

Is there really a need to make KNO3, when it can be bought quite easily, from various sources? Even if the KNO3 is bought in an impure form (and therefore cheaper), it is easily purified by a simple process of recrystalisation from deionised water. NH4NO3 has very few uses in pyrotechnics; it is both hygroscopic and chemically unstable, especially when contaminated with traces of metal salts or organic material. NH4NO3 finds use as a specialist rocket propellant; although I would stick with KNO3 for this purpose, as it is a lot safer. There are some quite 'antisocial' applications for NH4NO3, so if you want to keep your door on its hinges, do not buy the stuff! If you buy NH4NO3 in any quantity, it's a safe bet that your name will end up on some list! What a waste of HNO3 - I would rather use dilute nitric acid to make some strontium and barium nitrates for my colour comps! If you must make your KNO3, try fractional crystalisation from a concentrated solution of potassium chloride and another nitrate.

[marble]

What a Frakin` Waste!

ditto, what a waste of HNO3.

Go nitrate something

Edited by marble, 21 October 2007 - 12:48 PM.

[YT2095]

well I put all my scrap copper in dilute HNO3, this is then easily displaced with K2CO3 to leave insoluble copper carbonate and KNO3.
so there`s Nothing at all wasted, and you can use the Basic Copper Carb to make color mixes with.

killing 2 birds with one stone

[they say im crazy]

What a Frakin` Waste!

they do supply it in a 5lt container and as it is 70% you need little to react with the salt and its only £5 so i can always get more
but HNO3 is very dangerous so i agree don't mess around with it