So I figured out how to make N20 over the weekend, and actually made my first batch. Whether or not it is illegal, immoral, or just plain stupid, I dont give a hoot. This is purely for "scientific" reasons, or basically, just to see if it can be done.
What Im curious to know is, how do I break it down into a liquid. Obviously I have to compress it, but how do I do so to a pressure of 1200 or so psi to get it into a bottle? Anyone here work at a chemical plant?

 

Now get your car running so you can use it.

-Chris

 

Let me borrow Casper to see if it will actually work in a car...

 

I think i'll let you test on the Firehawk first then put me inline for the special Steve N20.

-Chris

 

a pump would probbaly compress it.. but how did you do this,and what was the cost and time involved, I doubt it's worth the time and expense you have to go through but i'm curious

 

I definately know it wouldnt be worth the time to produce little amounts at a time. The substances needed to make it are dirt cheap. I dont want say what the main ingredient is so I avoid getting in trouble, but all your basically doing is heating up fertilizer.
Basic tools needed are a burner, some beakers, some clear glass tubes and rubber tubing.
Like I said, compressing it to 200 psi wouldnt be a problem, but I think this stuff requires at least 400 psi to be in a liquid state. Like most people know, psi is relative to quantity is a gaseuos state, and a bottle would probably only hold enough gas for one run at 200 psi if jetted correctly.

 

Well, at 75 degrees you get 800psi vapor pressure from N2O. I believe if you take what you have in gaseous form and compress it to 800 psi you should be able to get the N2O to condense out into a liquid at that pressure. Or do it at a colder temp, and lower pressure would suffice - ie ~600psi at 50 degrees. I believe that should work.

 

If you can chill it enough, you need to get to about -25F to get it to liquify at 200 psi.

I have a Matheson Tri-Gas book in front of me with the Nitrous Oxide Vapor Pressure vs. Temp chart staring me in the face...I work with compressed gases. I'll see if I can find any on-line chart for you.

 

Have you been watching Mythbusters. They made some n2o one day.

 

As others have already stated, the N2O turns to a liquid when it is compressed.

I took chem. eng. for a couple years before I switched majors so I have a very good idea exactly how and what you used.

 

I'd put it in a weather baloon $5 a hit.

 

Ooooo...secret ingredient Knowledge is free in this country
I'm a research chemist, although working on antibiotics each chemist can tell you that Industrial grade nitrogen-rich Fertilizer = Ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3)

So, N2O (Nitrous Oxide) is commonly made by heating ammonium nitrate. This method was developed by the French chemist Claude Louis Berthollet in 1785 and has been widely used ever since. Unfortunately, the method poses a potential explosion risk from overheating ammonium nitrate.

NH4NO3(aq) → N2O(g) + 2H2O(l), ΔH = −36.8 kJ

The addition of various phosphates favors formation of a purer gas. This reaction occurs between 170 - 240°C, temperatures where ammonium nitrate is a moderately sensitive explosive and a very powerful oxidizer (perhaps on the order of fuming nitric acid). At temperatures much above 240 °C the exothermic reaction may run away, perhaps up to the point of detonation. The mixture must be cooled to avoid such a disaster. In practice, the reaction involves a series of tedious adjustments to control the temperature to within a narrow range, which it will not naturally tend to stay in. Professionals have destroyed whole neighborhoods by losing control of such commercial processes. Examples include the Ohio Chemical debacle in Montreal, 1966 and the Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. disaster in Delaware City, Delaware, 1977.

The direct oxidation of ammonia may someday rival the ammonium nitrate pyrolysis synthesis of nitrous oxide mentioned above. This capital-intensive process, which originates in Japan, uses a manganese dioxide-bismuth oxide catalyst. (Suwa et al. 1961; Showa Denka Ltd.)

2NH3 + 2O2 → N2O + 3H2O:

Higher oxides of nitrogen are formed as impurities. Note that uncatalyzed ammonia oxidation (i.e. combustion or explosion) goes primarily to N2 and H2O. The Ostwald process oxidizes ammonia to nitric oxide (NO), using platinum; this is the beginning of the modern synthesis of nitric acid from ammonia (see above).

Nitrous oxide can be made by heating a solution of sulfamic acids and nitric acids. A lot of gas was made this way in Bulgaria (Brozadzhiew & Rettos, 1975).

HNO3 + NH2SO3H → N2O + H2SO4 + H2O:

There is no explosive hazard in this reaction if the mixing rate is controlled. However, as usual, toxic higher oxides of nitrogen form.

Colorless solutions of hydroxylamine hydrochloride and sodium nitrite can also be used to produce N2O.

(NH3OH+Cl-) + NaNO2 → N2O + NaCl + H2O:

If the nitrite is added to the hydroxylamine solution, the gas produced is pure enough for inhalation, and the only remaining byproduct is salt water. However, if the hydroxylamine solution is added to the nitrite solution (nitrite is in excess), then toxic higher oxides of nitrogen form are produced.

 

That WAS english.. right?

I'm not going to bark about $4.75 / lb anymore.

 

sounds like you could either make N2O or a pretty strong bomb.

 

Sounds like a lot of work, I guess I'm lucky though, its only $3 a pound where I live.

 

I got scared at Oooooo. This is why I buy the pre-mixed stuff.

 

Wow what a wealth of information! Did you write this article? Or did you just copy it?

 

DUH, of course I copied it !

Do you really think I'd remember who in what year wrote it, as it's mentioned in the article ? There is a LOT of misinformation on the internet, and I made sure that equations are balanced before I posted it. Hence I worte, "knowledge is free" - cause it's everywhere...not all of it is correct though... It's important to distingish "fact" from "myth"

EDIT: chemistry makes a lot of sense, but when it comes to purity of your product, limiting reagent is critical, so please do the math before your "experiment" Also, get manufacturer's CoA (Certificate of Analysis) and never assume 100% "as is" reagent. !!!
Remember, in every chemical reaction weight is conserved but not moles...

 

I'd tell you how to get it into a cylinder in a liquid state but I'm not confident that you could do It safely. I would definatley recomend getting your end product tested before you start putting 1200 psi on it or doing anything else with it. Just plain dangerous even if your a chemist....

If you know someone in the HVAC-R feild pick their brain about how they get liquid refrigerant into and out of an airconditioner.......

You might also wish to be careful if you decide to manufacture nitrous oxide in your basement. Applying heat to solid ammonium nitrate, which is the customary method of preparation, is a bit tricky, and periodically results in explosions. Two shiploads of the stuff blew up once at Texas City, leveling the town. Fortunately, due to the enormous amount of gas released, no one really cared.


Check out -----> http://en.wikipedia.org/ Search for "Condensation" , "Subcool" , "States of Matter"


Be Good!

 

If you can tell me how you would go about boiling water at 55F I'll help with another hint.......