[Q] Nitrate

[E-man]

hi, ive been looking around for a while now for nitrate and the closest thing that i can find is a fertilizer with only 7% nitrate. i live in switzerland and i have yet to find pure nitrate. does anyone know if there is a way to get that little 7% out and separate it from the other 93% of the fertilizer? i doubt that its possible but if it is can u plz write it as simple as possible since i have barley any experience with science things (even though i look up alot of stuff i simply can get a hold of the chemicals. thank you xD

[modest]

Hello E-man. Welcome to Hypography.

 

"Pure nitrate" can mean more than one thing. Fertilizers might have calcium nitrate, sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, etc. Even nitric acid could be considered "pure nitrate". So.. what fertilizer exactly do you have and what exactly are you wanting to use this "pure nitrate" for? Because, I must say, it's more than a little suspicious asking how to extract pure ammonium nitrate from fertilizer.

 

~modest

[freeztar]

Because, I must say, it's more than a little suspicious asking how to extract pure ammonium nitrate from fertilizer.

That was my first thought as well. Besides, you shouldn't apply pure nitrate to plants. :)

[Moontanman]

Pure ammonium nitrate can be found in cold packs, the white beads in a cold packs are just ammonium nitrate and will make plants turn so green they are almost black but too much will kill them too.

[enorbet2]

I'm more than a little surprised (unless I'm being too linear) that someone didn't come right out and say it, though modest came close. Look, this guy Eman has one post and one post only and it is about maximizing purity of ammonium nitrate. When I was a kid one could buy KNO3 over the counter with an adult present right from the drug store. (I was an amateur rocketeer and cooked up "caramel candy" fuel) Those days are long gone and kids are lucky to get table salt in chemistry sets these days. The nitrates, while eclipsed by modern synthetics is still very capable as an ingredient for explosives.

 

Even the lower percentage stuff like fertilizer grade, and less reactive, sodium nitrate, is wild stuff. You can remove stumps in a hurry by digging a trench around one and filling it with sodium nitrate. Then, just thrust a match immediately upon striking deep into the mix and the nitrate alone will burn furiously and reduce (OK oxidize) the stump very quickly. This is all by itself with no additives.

 

I hate it that we have had to become so squeamish about materials and information, but at the very least it behooves us to check the backgrounds of those asking such provocative questions. Good on ya, modest.