Product Details
Sodium nitrate, molecular formula NaNO₃, is a standard inorganic compound with clear hygroscopic properties. In its regular commercial form, it appears as colorless transparent trigonal crystals, or white to yellow crystalline powder. Its physical parameters include a melting point of 306.8°C, and it will undergo decomposition when heated to roughly 380°C.
It dissolves very easily in water and liquid ammonia, and also shows good solubility in methanol and ethanol. It only dissolves to a limited degree in glycerol, and has barely detectable solubility in acetone. The dissolution process in water absorbs heat from the surrounding environment, which creates a distinct cooling effect on the solution, and the resulting aqueous solution stays completely neutral.
Chemical Properties
| Foreign Name | Sodium nitrate |
| Chemical Formula | NaNO3 |
| Molecular Weight | 84.99 |
| CAS Number | 7631-99-4 |
| EINECS | 231-554-3 |
| Melting Point | 306.8 ℃ |
| Boiling point | 380℃ (decomposes) |
| Water solubility | Easily soluble |
| Density | 2.26 g/cm3 |
| Appearance | White to yellow crystalline powder |
| Safety description | S17;S26;S27;S36/37/39;S45 |
Product Application
As a highly versatile essential industrial raw material, sodium nitrate supports the manufacturing of potassium nitrate, mining explosives, picric acid and various dye products, and it also acts as a reliable nitrating agent in the production of dye intermediates.
For the glass industry, it serves as a multi-functional processing additive, playing the roles of defoaming agent, decolorizing agent, clarifying agent and oxidation flux in the production of all kinds of glass and glass finished goods. In the enamel production sector, it acts as a stable oxidizing agent and flux to assist in the preparation of high-quality enamel powders.
In the machinery manufacturing industry, it is used as an efficient metal cleaning agent, and it is also a key raw material for preparing black metal bluing treatment agents. In metallurgical processing, it can be used as a professional heat treatment agent for steelmaking and aluminum alloy processing. The light industry also applies it to produce high-performance combustion accelerants for cigarettes.
In the pharmaceutical production field, sodium nitrate is an indispensable component of the culture medium for penicillin production. In agricultural applications, it works as a quick-acting fertilizer specially designed for acidic soils, showing excellent fertilization performance for root crops such as sugar beets and radishes.
Apart from the above scenarios, sodium nitrate can also be used as a decolorizing agent for molten caustic soda. Its high-purity grades are fully suitable for use as analytical reagents, spectroscopic reagents and high-purity oxidizing agents, and they are also widely adopted in dye synthesis as well as the production of explosives and fireworks.
