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How to analyse for sodium nitrate
(-----) 2006
Q. Our shop is looking to run an inhibited caustic etch solution as part of our anodising line. One of the bath constituents is sodium nitrate at 34-49 g/L. Unfortunately the controlling specification nor any of the lab analysis books give any method for determining the sodium nitrate concentration.
Does anyone out there know of any methods and/or where to find such methods documented?
Regards
Plating Shop Employee - Sydney, NSW, Australia
^
2006
A. Tony,
If your only source of sodium and nitrate in the bath is from this compound then you could measure either one of those using ion chromatography equipment.
- Auburn, Washington
^
2006
A. I guess one of the many commercial test kits for nitrate in well water or drinking water will do the job.
The analysis method would than be something like this:
- make a 1 : 1000 dilution (commercial kits will normally measure in 0 - 100 mg/l range)
- fill a 5 ml test tube
- put test tube in photocell
- read concentration of nitrate or nitrate-N
- convert tot sodium nitrate
Check with the local supplier of these test kits for unwanted side reactions from other components in your application.
- Gent, Belgium
^
2006
A. There is a titrimetric procedure.
A portion of the sample is added to 100 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid. This is then cooled to 0 degrees C. While maintaining this temperature, the mixture (with continuous stirring) is titrated with standard ferrous sulfate solution. A good titer to use is 0.25 N. The ferrous sulfate solution must be standardized vs. a standard solution of nitric acid on the day of the analysis.
The endpoint is a rose color that persists in the acid titration mixture for at least 60 seconds.
You could also run it via nitrate selective electrode, or if you have a UV spectrophotometer, there is a direct reading method. Neither of those things are cheap, but the titration I describe is not easy to do and you might decide to spring for one of them after you do it a few times.
Good luck!

Dave Wichern
Consultant - The Bronx, New York
^
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December 31, 2014 -- this entry appended to this thread by editor in lieu of spawning a duplicative thread
Q. Sir - delhi india ^ December 2014 A. Hi Devesh. We appended your inquiry to a thread about the use of sodium nitrate in aluminum etching solutions, which should at least partially answer your question. But you doubtless have a real situation, and for the most helpful answers for it, you'd probably be better off explaining that actual situation than posting in the abstract. Good luck. Regards, ![]() Ted Mooney, P.E. Striving to live Aloha finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey ^ |
