How to Make 95% Nitric Acid at Home with NO Distillation Apparatus

Scientific concepts / chemical phenomena presented

• Synthesis of nitric acid via acid–salt reaction

  • Potassium nitrate (KNO₃) reacts with concentrated sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄, ~93%) to generate nitric acid (HNO₃).
  • The described setup implies formation of nitrogen oxides (NOx) followed by their conversion to nitric acid.
  • The video frames the goal as producing high-concentration (~95%) nitric acid.

• Boiling and condensation (simple distillation concept) without distillation equipment

  • Heating the reacting mixture produces vapors.
  • These vapors are directed into an inverted glass “condensing” chamber cooled with ice water, where they condense and are collected in a beaker.

• Use of cold-water condensation to collect a liquid condensate

  • Ice water in the inverted glass vessel is used to cool the system so that nitric-acid–containing vapors condense into a liquid.

• Thermal management and glass limitations

  • Boiling temperature constraints
    • Mentions pure nitric acid boiling around ~167°C (as stated).
    • Suggests the mixture’s boiling behavior may require higher temperature, but recommends staying below ~120°C.
  • Regular glass vs. Pyrex
    • Regular glass is noted as tolerating up to ~200°C, but is more vulnerable to thermal shock, so heating should be gradual.

• Product concentration reasoning by “color/yellow drop” and reactivity test

  • The collected drops are described as yellow, consistent with nitrogen-oxide impurities typical of incomplete/impure nitric acid generation (subtitles do not explicitly name NOx).
  • Qualitative confirmation via copper reactivity
    • Copper reacts slowly with the acid due to passivation.
    • Adding water increases reactivity, suggesting effects related to concentration and/or oxide film behavior.

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Method / procedure outlined (as described)

• Materials/setup

  • A Pyrex (or regular glass) container as the reaction vessel.
  • A smaller beaker as a support/stand inside the larger container.
  • A larger beaker as an outer container.
  • An inverted glass piece (described as a broken lid or Florence flask) used as a condenser, extending into/above the reaction area.
  • Ice water in the inverted glass condenser.
  • A thermometer to monitor temperature and control heating rate.

• Reagent quantities (stoichiometry as stated)

  • 50 g potassium nitrate
  • ~93% sulfuric acid
  • Claimed requirement: ~57 g sulfuric acid to “complete the reaction” (as stated in the subtitles).

• Execution

  1. Place potassium nitrate in the container.
  2. Carefully add concentrated sulfuric acid, avoiding splashing into the inner collecting container.
  3. Heat slowly, monitoring temperature (described using a heating plate and thermometer).
  4. Vapors rise and condense inside the cold inverted vessel.
  5. Collect the condensed nitric acid in the inner beaker.
  6. Continue until some amount is collected, then stop heating.

• Handling/containment note

  • Advises wiping the condenser/lid to reduce formation of diluted nitric acid from condensation running down contaminated surfaces.

• Qualitative verification

  • Add a little product to copper.
  • Observe slow reaction due to passivation; adding water speeds the reaction.

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Researchers or sources featured

• Aspen Angel (mentioned as the model/creator in a prior video; featured by name in the subtitles)
• No other researchers or external scientific sources are cited in the provided subtitles.