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Red fuming nitric acid (RFNA) is a storable oxidizer used as a rocket propellant. It consists of nitric acid (H N O 3), dinitrogen tetroxide (N 2 O 4) and a small amount of water. The color of red fuming nitric acid is due to the dinitrogen tetroxide, which breaks down partially to form nitrogen dioxide. The nitrogen dioxide dissolves until the ...
White fuming nitric acid, pure nitric acid or WFNA, is very close to anhydrous nitric acid. It is available as 99.9% nitric acid by assay, or about 24 molar . One specification for white fuming nitric acid is that it has a maximum of 2% water and a maximum of 0.5% dissolved NO 2 .
Anhydrous nitric acid, referred to as white fuming nitric acid, can be used to prepare water-free nitration mixtures, and this method is used in laboratory scale operations where the cost of material is not of primary importance. Fuming nitric acid is hazardous to handle and transport, because it is extremely corrosive and volatile. For ...
[5]: 13 BMW developed engines burning a hypergolic mix of nitric acid with various combinations of amines, xylidines and anilines. [6] Hypergolic propellants were discovered independently, for the second time, in the U.S. by GALCIT and Navy Annapolis researchers in 1940. They developed engines powered by aniline and red fuming nitric acid (RFNA ...
Upon mixing of concentrated hydrochloric acid and concentrated nitric acid, chemical reactions occur. These reactions result in the volatile products nitrosyl chloride and chlorine gas: HNO 3 + 3 HCl → NOCl + Cl 2 + 2 H 2 O. as evidenced by the fuming nature and characteristic yellow color of aqua regia.
As the mixture is an extremely strong oxidant, it can ignite combustibles upon contact. Upon decomposition it produce red fumes of nitrogen tetroxide and nitric acid. [1] [3] [4] [5] Some former-Soviet countries have large quantities. Ukraine, for example, had 16,000 tonnes, which the OSCE has helped process.
The breakthrough was the addition of a little hydrogen fluoride (HF), which forms a self-sealing metal fluoride on the interior of tank walls that Inhibited Red Fuming Nitric Acid. This made "IRFNA" storeable. Propellant combinations based on IRFNA or pure N 2 O
Both propellants are extremely dangerous individually: nitric acid is highly corrosive and releases toxic nitrogen dioxide during reactions, or even simply while exposed to air in its highly concentrated "red fuming" form, typically used as rocket propellant. UDMH is both toxic and corrosive.