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CAS Number 7631-99-4
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Linear Formula NaNO3
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Molecular Weight 84.99
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EC Number 231-554-3
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MDL number MFCD00011119
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PubChem Substance ID 329824455
Sodium nitrate is the chemical compound with the formula NaNO3. This alkali metal nitrate salt is also known as Peru saltpeter (due to the large deposits found in
the Atacama desert in these countries) to distinguish it from
ordinary saltpeter, potassium nitrate. The mineral form is also known as nitratine, nitratite or soda niter.
Detailed Description:
Sodium nitrate is a white solid
very soluble in water.
It is a readily available source of the nitrate anion (NO3−), which is
useful in several reactions carried out on industrial scales for the production
of fertilizers, pyrotechnics and smoke bombs, glass and potteryenamels, food preservatives (esp. meats), and solid rocket propellant. It has been mined extensively for these
purposes.
Uses
Sodium nitrate was used extensively as a fertilizer and a raw material
for the manufacture of gunpowder in the late 19th
century. It can be combined with iron hydroxide to make a synthetic resin.
Sodium nitrate can be combined with sulfuric acid and nitric acid distilled off. At
lower pressure the lower temperature needed results in less decomposition. The
theoretical 2 moles of nitric acid per 1 mole of sulfuric acid results in a very
high end temperature, much decomposition and a solid neutral sulfate that is
difficult to remove. When this reaction was important industrially, it was
common practice to operate with sulfuric acid in excess to end on
a mostly bisulfate product poured molten out of the retort.
Hobbyist gold refiners use
sodium nitrate to make a hybrid aqua regia that dissolves gold
and other metals.
Sodium nitrate is also a food additive used as a
preservative and color fixative in cured meats and poultry; it is listed under
its INS number 251 or E number E251. It is approved
for use in the EU,[6] USA[7] and Australia and
New Zealand.[8] Sodium nitrate
should not be confused with sodium nitrite, which is also a
common food additive and preservative used, for example, in deli meats.
Less common applications include as an oxidizer in
fireworks, replacing potassium nitrate commonly found in black powder, and as a component
in instant cold packs.[9]
Sodium nitrate is used together with potassium
nitrate and calcium nitrate for heat storage
and, more recently, for heat transfer in solar power plants. A mixture of
sodium nitrate, calcium nitrate and potassium nitrate is used as energy-storage
material in prototype plants, such as Andasol Solar
Power Station and the
Archimedes project.
It is also used in the wastewater industry for
facultative microorganism respiration. Nitrosomonas, a genus of microorganisms, consumes nitrate
in preference to oxygen, enabling it to grow more rapidly in the wastewater to
be treated.
Sodium nitrate is also sometimes used by marine
aquarists who utilize carbon-dosing techniques. It is used to increase nitrate
levels in the water and promote bacterial growth.
Dental use
Mouthwash and gels containing sodium nitrate are
used in treatment of dentine
hypersensitivity.
Health concerns
Studies have shown a link between increased levels
of nitrates and increased deaths from certain diseases including Alzheimer's, diabetes mellitus, Gastric Cancer, and Parkinson's: possibly through
the damaging effect of nitrosamines on DNA, however,
little is done to control for other possible causes in the epidemiological
results.[10] Nitrosamines, formed
in cured meats containing sodium nitrate and nitrite, have been linked to gastric cancer and oesophageal cancer.[11] Sodium nitrate and
nitrite are associated with a higher risk of colorectal cancer.[12]
One of the reasons that processed meat increases the
risk of colon cancer is its content of
nitrate. A small amount of the nitrate added to meat as a preservative breaks
down into nitrite, in addition to any nitrite that may also be added. The
nitrite then reacts with protein-rich foods (such as meat) to produce
carcinogenic NOCs (nitroso compounds). NOCs
can be formed either when meat is cured or in the body as meat is digested.[13]
For most people, the highest dietary source of
nitrates is from fruits and vegetables and no studies have conclusively linked
nitrates and nitrites to cancer or any other form of diseases. On the contrary,
some research has hinted to beneficial properties of nitrites such as lowering
blood pressure by slightly expanding arteries. The only reason
nitrates and nitrites came under such legal scrutiny is when the US Food and
Drug Administration presented a brief report which stated that some adverse
effect was observed on mice (“depression of growth”) when their intake of
nitrites was up to 90% of daily diet.
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