Method of extracting dinitrogen pentoxide from its mixture with nitric acid
AssigneeSecretary of State for Defence in the United Kingdom
InventorsGreville E. G. Bagg, Anthony W. Arber
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Abstract
Method of extracting dinitrogen pentoxide (N.sub.2 O.sub.5) from its mixture in nitric acid, which consists of providing a solution of the mixture in an inert organic solvent, stripping out the N.sub.2 O.sub.5 from solution in a carrier gas stream containing ozone, and subsequently condensing the N.sub.2 O.sub.5 out of the gas stream by contact with further inert organic solvent. The presence of ozone suppresses the dissociation of the N.sub.2 O.sub.5 transferred to the gas stream into dinitrogen tetroxide (N.sub.2 O.sub.4). In a preferred embodiment the stripping and absorbing steps take place continuously in adjacent stripping and absorbing columns respectively having organic solvent recirculating through each.
Claims11
Method of extracting N.sub.2 O.sub.5 from a mixture of nitric acid and N.sub.2 O.sub.5 containing less than 50 wt % nitric acid into an inert organic solvent comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a solution of the mixture in a first body of inert organic solvent,
- (b) contacting the solution with a carrier gas containing ozone at a temperature of between -10.degree. C. and 30.degree. C. to transfer at least part of the N.sub.2 O.sub.5 from the solution into the carrier gas, the carrier gas comprising ozonized oxygen or ozonized air, and
- (c) condensing the N.sub.2 O.sub.5 transferred to the carrier gas in a second body of inert organic solvent at a temperature lower than that of step (b).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.