Nitric Acid

Specifics and dangers when handling with nitric acid
Nitric acid (HNO3) is one of the three most important acids in the chemical industry. Technical nitric acid generally contains 53 % of HNO3 – higher concentrations are also partly used.

It is well known that nitric acid is very hazardous and has a severely corrosive impact on skin, eyes and mucous membranes. The intensive yellow color on the affected skin area is characteristic. After a short exposure time at the eye, nitric acid causes a permanent impairment of eyesight up to complete blindness. The inhalation of HNO3 vapors leads to irritations of mucous membranes, bronchial catarrh, pneumonia and further damages of the respiratory organs.

Use of nitric acid:

• 60 to 80 % of the produced nitric acid is used as nitrogen fertilizer, as calcium ammonium nitrates
• Nitric acid serves as basic material for the manufacturing of polymer materials, as nylon or perlon (approx. 10 %)
• Nitric acid is used for surface treatment
  o steel pickling or etching
  o copper patinating
• Nitric acid serves as basic material for the manufacturing of several paints / antibiotics via nitration reactions
• Nitric acid is also used as basic material for explosives: trinitrotoluene – also known as TNT – as well as nitrocellulose und nitroglycerine. Salts of nitric acid can also be found in black gunpowder