Sodium nitrate appears as colourless tripartite crystals or rhombic crystals or white fine crystalline powder. Odourless, salty taste, slightly bitter. Sodium nitrate is easily deliquescent, soluble in water and liquid ammonia; soluble in ethanol, methanol; slightly soluble in glycerol and acetone. Sodium nitrate is easy to burn and explode when it comes into contact with organic matter and sulphur.
Uses:
Sodium nitrate has an extremely wide range of uses.
In the enamelling industry, it can be used as flux, oxidising agent and raw material for the preparation of enamel powder.
In glass industry, it can be used as decolourant, defoamer, clarifier and oxidizing flux for all kinds of glass and products.
In the inorganic industry, it is used as decolouring agent for molten caustic soda and for the manufacture of other nitrates.
In the food industry, it is used as a colouring agent for meat processing, which can prevent meat from spoiling and can play a flavouring role.
In the dye industry, it can be used as raw material for the production of picric acid and dyes.
In metallurgical industry, it is used as heat treatment agent for steel making and aluminium alloy.
In machinery industry,it can be used as metal cleaning agent and ferrous metal bluing agent.
In the pharmaceutical industry, it can be used as the culture medium of penicillin.
In cigarette industry, it can be used as tobacco combustion agent.
In the field of analytical chemistry, it can be used as chemical reagent.
In addition, sodium nitrate can also be used in the production of explosives and so on.
