Cooley's Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume II

by Arnold James Cooley; Richard Vine Tuson

Nitric Acid, Dilute. Acidum nitricum dilutum (B. P., Ph. L., E., & D.), L. Prep. 1. (Ph. L.) Nitric acid (sp. gr. 1·42), 3 fl. oz.; distilled water, 17 fl. oz.; mix. Sp. gr. 1·082. “1 fl. oz. is saturated by 154 gr. of the crystals of carbonate of soda.” It contains about 12% of pure anhydrous acid.

2. (Ph. E.) Nitric acid (1·500), 1 fl. oz.; distilled water, 9 fl. oz. Or, commercial nitric acid (1·390), 1 fl. oz. 5¹⁄₂ dr.; water, 9¹⁄₂ fl. oz. Sp. gr. 1·077. It contains 11·16% of pure dry nitric acid.

3. (Ph. D.) Nitric acid (1·500), 4 fl. oz.; water, 29 fl. oz. Contains about 9·7% of pure acid. The above are used for convenience in dispensing.—Dose, 15 drops to ¹⁄₂ fl. dr., or more. The above must not be confounded with the acidum nitricum dilutum, Ph. D. 1826, which had the sp. gr. 1·280, nor with the following:—

4. (Henry’s.) Sp. gr. 1·143; equal in saturating power to hydrochloric acid sp. gr. 1·074, and sulphuric acid 1·135. Used in assaying.

5. (B. P.) Nitric acid, 6; distilled water sufficient to make the mixture when cooled to 60° Fahr., measure 31. Contains 15 per cent. of anhydrous nitric acid. Test. Sp. gr. 1·101. Six fluid drachms (361·3 grains) by weight require for neutralisation 1000 grain measures of the volumetric solution of soda, and, therefore, contain exactly one equivalent in grains of anhydrous acid, namely, 54 gr.—Use. Tonic, astringent, lithonlytic.—Dose, 10 to 30 minims.

Nitric Acid, Fuming. Syn. Nitrous acid‡; Acidum nitricum fumans, L. The red fuming nitrous or nitric acid of commerce is simply nitric acid loaded with nitric peroxide (which see). That of the Ph. Bor. is distilled from nitre, 2 parts; oil of vitriol, 1 part.

NI′TRIC ANHY′DRIDE. See Nitric acid, Anhydrous.

NI′TRIC OXIDE. See Nitrogen, Oxides of.

NI′TRITE. A salt of nitrous acid; e.g. KNO₂, nitrite of potassium.

NITRO-BEN′ZOL. C₂H₅NO₂. Prep. By treating benzol with strong fuming nitric acid, with heat; after the violence of the reaction is over, the liquid is diluted with water, and the heavy oily fluid which separates is collected, washed, and dried.