INVESTIGATION OF ISOTOPIC EFFECTS IN THE REDUCTION OF NITRIC ACID TO NITRIC OXIDES IN THE PRESENCE OF MERCURY (in Russian)
It is shown that a separation of nitrogen isotopes can be achieved by the reduction of nitric acid by metallic mercury according to the following reaction: (Hg + 8HNO/sub 3/ = 3Hg/sub 2/(NO/sub 3/)/sub 2/ + 2NO + 4H/sub 2/O. In addition to the separation of isotopes by broken chemical bonds, a separation by isotopic exchange takes place following the reaction: N/sup 15/O(gas) + HN/sup 14/O/sub 3/ (liquid) in equilibrium N/sup 14/O (gas) + HN/sup 15/O /sub 3/ (liquid). Both reactions enhance heavy nitrogen isotope accumulation in nitric acid. Further the sodium nitrate is reduced to ammonia and the equilibrium is shifted towards N/sup 14/H/sub 3/. Multiple repetitions of the process in the solution increase the concentration of the heavy nitrogen isotope in the nitric acid salts. When all the mercury nitrate is used up in the ammonlum absorption reaction, the ammonia is taken up in 1 N hydrochloric acid solution and converted into pure nitrogen by sodium hypobromite. (R.V.J.)
- Research Organization:
- Tomsk Polytechnic Inst., USSR
- NSA Number:
- NSA-18-016403
- OSTI ID:
- 4064977
- Journal Information:
- Izv. Sibirsk. Otd. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Journal Name: Izv. Sibirsk. Otd. Akad. Nauk SSSR Vol. Vol: No. 3
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- Russian
Similar Records
A microwave study of the ammonia-nitric acid complex
Nitric/nitrous acid equilibria in supercritical water