Sodium Nitrate Properties

Description

sodium Nitrate is the chemical compound with the formula NaNO3.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 pottery enamels, food preservatives (esp. meats), and solid rocket propellant. It has been mined extensively for these purposes.Sodium Nitrate is synthesized industrially by neutralizing nitric acid with sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate.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.Sodium nitrate should not be confused with sodium nitrite, which is also a common food additive and preservative used, for example, in deli meats.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.