10.0 USEFUL PYROCHEMISTRY

In general, it is possible to make many chemicals from just a few basic ones. A list of useful chemical reactions is presented. It assumes knowledge of general chemistry; any individual who does not understand the following reactions would merely have to read the first five chapters of a high school chemistry book.

potassium perchlorate from perchloric acid and potassium hydroxide

     K(OH)       +     HClO     ---->     KClO     +    H O
                           4                  4          2

potassium nitrate from nitric acid and potassium hydroxide

      "       +     HNO     ---->     KNO     +         "
                       3                 3

ammonium perchlorate from perchloric acid and ammonium hydroxide

     NH OH       +     HClO     ---->     NH ClO     +     "
       3                   4                3   4

ammonium nitrate from nitric acid and ammonium hydroxide

        NH OH       +     HNO     ---->     NH NO     +     "
          3                  3                3  3

powdered aluminum from acids, aluminum foil, and magnesium

A.     aluminum foil    +    6HCl    ---->   2AlCl   +   3H
                                                3          2

B.     2AlCl  (aq)   +    3Mg    ---->  3MgCl (aq)   +  2Al
            3                                2

The Al will be a very fine silvery powder at the bottom of the container which must be filtered and dried. This same method works with nitric and sulfuric acids, but these acids are too valuable in the production of high explosives to use for such a purpose, unless they are available in great excess.

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