Nitratine

Nitratine was once an important source of nitrates for fertilizer and other chemical uses including fireworks. It has been known since 1845 from mineral deposits in the Confidence Hills, Southern Death Valley, California and the Atacama Desert, Chile. It is still used in organic farming (where Haber–Bosch ammonia is forbidden) in the US, but prohibited in international organic agriculture. The mineral also has a wide range of applications beyond being used as a fertilizer in agricultural practices. Nitratine has been used in the explosives industry for water-containing slurry as well as gel explosives. It is also used as a refining agent to remove air bubbles by the glass and enamel industries. Nitratine, other alkali nitrates, or nitrites also have applications for solar technology serving as a heat-transfer or heat-storage medium. Nitratine can also be used as a substitute for potassium nitrate in gunpowder. == Synthetic sodium nitrate ==

After World War I the need for a more efficient production of fertilizer led to the production of synthetic nitratine which was much less costly in terms of production than the Shanks process used to refine chilean saltpeter. The method of production involved using tail gases from nitric acid plants in combination with sodium carbonate solution or sodium hydroxide solution. Through a series of reactions it is possible to produce sodium nitrate and sodium nitrate with byproducts such as nitrogen monoxide and water. The following reactions show the chemistry necessary to produce sodium nitrates: 2NaOH + 2NO2 + NO -> 2NaNO2 + H2O Na2CO3 + NO2 + NO -> 2NaNO2 +CO2 2NaOH + 2NO2 -> NaNO3 + NaNO2 + H2O Na2CO3 + 2NO2 -> NaNO3 + NaNO2 +CO2 3NaNO2 + 2HNO3 -> 3NaNO3 + 2 NO + H2O ==See also==