Industry Uses of Sodium Nitrate
Sodium nitrate (NaNO3) is a well-known ingredient in the manufacture of pyrotechnics and fertilizers. Known commercially as nitrate of soda, Chile saltpeter, or soda niter, sodium nitrate is a crystalline compound with no odor or color. Its price and reliability raise it above other chemicals in its class, and industrial ingredient supplier Bell Chem has technical grade sodium nitrate available to serve your business needs.
As an Explosive
Explosives and sodium nitrate have a long history together. Sodium nitrate is inexpensive, non-toxic, non-poisonous, and stable, which gives it advantages over other additives in the black powder used in pyrotechnics and smoke bombs. The slow burn rate of sodium nitrate makes it ideal as a solid rocket propellant.
As a Fertilizer
As a fertilizer, sodium nitrate acts as a storage vessel for nitrogen. Nitrogen stimulates overall plant growth, giving fullness to leaves, stems, and roots. Lack of nitrogen stunts plant growth while excess nitrogen can deter flower and fruit growth. Sodium nitrate used as a fertilizer rushes nitrogen to plant roots to stimulate processing throughout the plant’s vascular system.
As a Preservative
Sodium nitrate acts as a processed meat preservative, especially in meats containing a red hue. For instance, hot dogs, deli meats, and ham contain sodium nitrate to prevent bacterial colonization, which spoils meats rapidly. Country ham, which has an extremely long aging process, relies on sodium nitrate as a long-term stabilizer. The pharmaceutical industry also uses sodium nitrate as a preservative, sometimes adding it in eye drops and in medicines as a control compound since it contains nitrogen.
As an Enamel
The tough, shiny outer coating of glass and pottery enamel is often due to sodium nitrate. Immersion in a sodium nitrate bath increases textile strength. This chemically strengthened glass is installed in aircraft canopies to give pilots the optical clarity they desire while providing tensile strength to their quarters. For this same reason, the molten glass used in high-quality eyewear manufacture is also tempered with sodium nitrate.
Contact Bell Chem, the industrial ingredient supplier based in Longwood (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.