Nitric acid is as valuable to industry as gold, but the preparation of fuming nitric acid (high-concentration nitric acid) is a headache.
Because nitric acid and water will form an azeotropic mixture. Simply put, after reaching the azeotropic point, nitric acid will boil with water and be evaporated together. Regardless of the steam or the remaining solution, the concentration will basically not change, which means
High-concentration nitric acid cannot be produced by direct distillation of dilute nitric acid. The dilute nitric acid must be dehydrated to an azeotropic concentration and then distilled to produce fuming nitric acid.
To put it simply, it is dehydrated first and then distilled.
Dehydration does not seem to be difficult. For example, lime is a good dehydrating agent.
But lime cannot dehydrate nitric acid, and all alkaline substances cannot dehydrate acid. Otherwise, after a neutralization reaction, precious acids and alkali will become cheap water and salt.
Concentrated sulfuric acid is also a good dehydrating agent. Kalaf is fuming nitric acid purified by concentrated sulfuric acid. The cost of producing concentrated sulfuric acid is not low, requiring a large amount of precious sulfur and a long distillation process. The fuming produced by this method
Nitric acid cannot guarantee yield.
Of course, there are magnesium nitrate, calcium nitrate, zinc nitrate... Nitrate itself can also be used as a dehydrating agent, but where can you find a large amount of high-purity nitrate? The process of preparation and purification is like an endless loop, which makes Lei
Ji had a headache.
Swindell did not disappoint Reggie. He purified the alcohol not by distillation, but by using a dehydrating agent like sawdust.
As for the nature of this dehydrating agent, Reggie could not judge for the time being. According to him, this dehydrating agent comes from a large tree called Luoqi. It is said that this tree can grow five feet in a year. The trunk can be cut and crushed into
After being powdered, it becomes a highly effective dehydrating agent in Swindell's hands.
This should be regarded as a physical dehydration method. Regardless of whether what Swindell said is true or false, this dehydrating agent is of little significance to Reggie. According to Bachelo's memory, there is indeed an ancient tree like Rochi, but it was in the 500s.
It became extinct years ago, and Swindell only has a few pounds of powder in his hands. How helpful can this be to the industrial production of high-concentration nitric acid?
Fortunately, Reggie is a man with an exploratory spirit. He and Khalaf helped Swindell complete the experiment. After an afternoon of hard work, Swindell used up all the dehydrating agents and finally obtained a pound of fuming nitric acid.
.
Although the results were far from what Reggie expected, Reggie still fulfilled his promise. He gave Swindell eight gold coins on the spot and announced that he had got a new job.
But Swindell did not accept the gold coins. Although he was born a slave, he had stronger self-esteem than ordinary people.
"Actually, what you want is not this little bit of fuming acid, right?" Swindell looked at the fuming nitric acid in the bottle, and even he felt that the output was a bit too pitiful.
"It doesn't matter, you can continue to study other purification methods," Reggie said with a smile, "You are a person who is good at thinking. I believe you will be able to find a better method."
"Perhaps it can be found, but..." Swindell hesitated. He carefully filtered out the wood chips, washed them with water, wrapped them in cotton cloth, and placed them next to the stove to dry slowly.
Reggie asked in surprise: "Can these sawdust be used repeatedly?"
"Yes," Swindell nodded. "As long as it is dried, it can continue to produce smoking acid for adults."
"This is good!" Although this wood chip cannot meet the needs of nitric acid production, if it can be used repeatedly, it may help Reggie purify some rarer things.
"Anyway, accept your salary first and work hard. You will become a bachelor like Kalaf." This is not a polite word. Swindell has the same characteristics as Kalaf. He likes to study and has good skills.
of willpower.
"I... will accept half first." No matter how much Calaf tried to persuade, Swindell was only willing to accept four gold coins. He took out two seeds from his arms and said to Reggie, "These are Locke's seeds.
I don’t know if it’s true or not. These two seeds have been with me for more than ten years. I will plant them in Suixue City next spring. If they sprout, I will collect another four gold coins.
If it doesn’t sprout, just wait until I find something better to replace it.”
"Okay!" Reggie nodded with satisfaction, "I'm waiting for your news."
"Next spring..."
Reggie kept repeating this sentence all the way, next year, spring, these two words made Reggie feel good.
"New Year is coming, Grand Maester, are you ready?"
"I have prepared fine smoked chicken and wine. Sir, if you are willing, you are welcome to come to my manor to spend the New Year."
"Why should I go to your manor and not you to my castle?"
"Sorry sir, I prefer to stay at home on New Year's Eve."
"Home... this is our home." Reggie took a deep breath, and a few snowflakes were sucked into his nose. He rubbed his nose and smiled, "The snowflakes seem to have become warmer tonight."
…
Two days later, Reggie received a secret message from Zhilin City. The prince's messenger stayed in Zhilin City for three days. Under the warm hospitality of the girls, he and his soldiers left many important messages, among which
Two items caught Reggie's attention.
Article 1: Sophia has won consecutive battles and is expected to capture Silver Bear City before the New Year.
Article 2: There was a riot in the southern part of the Lion Kingdom, and the specific cause is unknown.
With a worried look on his face, Bachelo looked up to the sky and sighed: "Neighboring countries are experiencing turmoil one after another, and we are afraid that we will usher in a year of war."
Reggie nodded and said, "In these turbulent years, what do you think we should do?"
Bacello frowned and said solemnly: "I think taking advantage of the situation is a good choice."
Reggie looked solemn, nodded and said, "I think so too."
After looking at each other for a long time, the two of them revealed sinister smiles one after another.
"Hehehe, while they are busy with civil strife, we are attacking behind their backs. Isn't it too despicable to do this, my lord!"
"Muhahaha! It's a little despicable, but it's still within the acceptable range, my great bachelor!"
"When shall we take action, my lord?"
"We have been taking action, my great maester! But we can no longer rashly intervene in the war. Spring is coming soon, and it's time to farm!" Reggie lit the candle and wrote the purchase plan on the parchment.
"We need seeds, we need farm tools, we need livestock, we need food, we need cloth, we need ore, we need..."
Reggie wrote a three-page list and found that there were many more things he needed.
"I can't wait for Old Hill to go to sea immediately after the New Year."
Batchelor said: "Do you want to add some slaves?"
"If possible, let Old Hill select some craftsmen for me." The slave matter is still giving Reggie a headache, and he must be more careful in his choices. "Not too many, just one or two hundred people, as long as the craftsmen are
And the sailors, also, we don’t have much yellow stone, let Edwina help us purchase some iron stones from Golden Light City..."
Reggie kept expanding his shopping list, until a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Sir," Shirley said while standing at the door, "Guard Taylor has been waiting for you downstairs for a long time."
Reggie was startled and asked, "Is there anything special about him?"
Shirley said: "I think he should have come to say goodbye to you."