donperry Posted June 14, 2012 Posted June 14, 2012 (edited) Guys, What NPK grade do you normally use?I just bought this 13-0-46 and it is behaving differently from the 13-0-44 of another brand I use. http://www.greenhouse.am/bottomimages/hayfa-fertilizers/multi-k-classic.jpg I use it for Sugar Rocket fuel, It is turning amber <not caramelization> while being prepared.IT also burns differenly, inefficiently. Edited June 14, 2012 by donperry
Bcorso85 Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 Could it be a filler used to prevent this kind of use? I'm not sure where I've heard it but I think some brands are making it difficult or impossible to use their products for our uses.
Potassiumchlorate Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 It should be almost 14% total nitrogen, not only 13%, if it were completely pure.
donperry Posted June 17, 2012 Author Posted June 17, 2012 It should be almost 14% total nitrogen, not only 13%, if it were completely pure. OK. That's interesting to know. DO you or anyone know what's the best way to purify this? Or at least remove some of the 46 potassium or something? I recently learn that the acients use to make this using Wood ash (contains potassium carbonate) and urine (nitrogen and some O) to make kno3 P.S, the KNo3 does burn as violently when I make rcandy, my only concern is the of the "candy" and WHY does it turn yellow?Again, I'd love to know a reliable way of purifying it (when i put it in water to recrystallize the water turns yellow too).
Seymour Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 If it burns well then I would not worry too much... From my experience KNSU goes yellow as a normal feature of casting, I'm impressed that you have avoided it so far. If you do want to purify it, the best method is recrystalisation. Take advantage of the difference in solubility at different temperatures by dissolving the Potassium nitrate in hot water (if you heat the solution you can get it well above 100 deg C as the dissolved ions extend boiling and freezing temperatures) and then allowing it to slowly cool (for highest purity (or purtyness) crystals). Once it's at room temperature it can go in the freezer for further cooling. Once it's a bit below what would usually be freezing temperature you can harvest the much purified nitrate. With fairly pure agricultural grade I cannot see more than one recrystalisation being worth the effort, but for other applications of recrystalisation purification several recrystalisations may be desired to get good purity. This would be more often than not for getting rid of things like Na.
donperry Posted June 17, 2012 Author Posted June 17, 2012 Right. Thanks. The smell and the color just let me feel as if I'm cooking urine! I'm wondering if I should mix 1:3 ratio of the bad:good kno3 I have :-? After purification
Recommended Posts