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Sodium nitrate
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ApplicationsSodium nitrate was used extensively as a fertilizer and a raw material for the manufacture of gunpowder in the late nineteenth century.
Sodium nitrate has antimicrobial properties when used as a food preservative. It is found naturally in leafy green vegetables.
Sodium nitrate should not be confused with the related compound, sodium nitrite. The presence of sodium nitrite in food is controversial due to the development of nitrosamines when the food, primarily bacon, is cooked at high temperatures. Its usage is carefully regulated in the production of cured products; in the United States, the concentration in finished products is limited to 200 ppm, and is usually lower. The nitrate compound itself is not harmful, however, and is among the antioxidants found in fresh vegetables.
It can be used in the production of nitric acid by combining it with sulfuric acid and subsequent separation through fractional distillation of the nitric acid, leaving behind a residue of sodium bisulfate. Hobbyist gold refiners use sodium nitrate to make a hybrid aqua regia that dissolves gold and other metals.
Less common applications include its use as a substitute oxidizer used in fireworks as a replacement for potassium nitrate commonly found in black powder and as a component in instant cold packs.
Because sodium nitrate can be used as a Phase Change Material it may be used for heat transfer in solar power plants.
Further reading- Dennis W. Barnum. (2003). "Some History of Nitrates." Journal of Chemical Education. v. 80, p. 1393-. .
External links- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (public domain)
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