Nitric acid, canadian source ?

Rick (Nova Scotia)

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May 8, 2008
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Looking for a canadian source for a couple of items, namely nitric acid, and potassium dichromate.

I did find a supplier (Sargent Welch) reasonable price, but they will only sell that kind of stuff to an educational facility. I'm long out os school, and my "drug store friend" is now passed.

Anyone ? Feel free to PM me. Any help most appreciated. Meanwhile I will keep trying.
 

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I'm not in Canada and it's been a long time since I bought some but I got mine through our local drug store. Had to play 20 questions to explain what I wanted it for but you might check out that approach. Doug.
 

Hi Rick,
If it's for refining you could make your own low concentrated nitric. Of course you will need access to other acids.
Either
1) use potassium nitrate (salt petre) with hydrochloric (muriatic) acid.
or
2) use sodium nitrate (nitrate of soda) with sulfuric acid.
Both ways will produce a weak nitric, and if you have a still, you could make it a lot stronger.

For either 1 or 2 the method is the same.
Heat the acid until fuming then add small amounts of the nitrate until saturation point and no more will dissolve.
Chill the acid on ice until no more crystals form, and then pour off the liquid that remains, this is the weak nitric.

The salt petre method produces a nice refining acid that often produces gold crystals upon precipitation, it may have something to do with potassium salts being present.

It's been a while since you asked, so you're probably all sorted now anyway, but it may help someone else.
Cheers.
 

Thanks everyone.
 

Rick (Nova Scotia) said:
Looking for a canadian source for a couple of items, namely nitric acid, and potassium dichromate.

I did find a supplier (Sargent Welch) reasonable price, but they will only sell that kind of stuff to an educational facility. I'm long out of school, and my "drug store friend" is now passed.
Not sure about Canadian laws, but here in the US, it would be entirely legal to purchase a .org or .edu domain, and then contact them through that to order for educational purposes.

I have ordered everything from railroad ties (to use as timbers for a covered bridge) to MREs in this manner. Create a simple website for "gold exploration and research", and then in your correspondence, call yourself the president of the society. It'll prolly get you what you need.
 

Thanks Snarky,

That is a good "workaround"

I should have posted sooner, I was able to get both items. No doubt has something to do with who you talk to, and how you talk to them. Believe it or not the nitric is not the hardest item to get.

Rick
 

Hey Rick-

I'm glad you found them. Yes, it has a lot to do with who you know, how you present yourself, and how believable the whole thing sounds.
 

:icon_thumleft: Simply call around to plating,chromers,electroforming or printed circuit facilities and talk to the purchasing agent as all utilize massive quanties of utechnic,reagent, or technical grade chemicals on a daily basis-tons a au 2 u 2 in free CANADA :hello2: :hello: John
 

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