Large-Scale Methamphetamine Manufacture

6.0 Manufacture of 70% Nitric Acid

Nitric acid is an essential chemical required for making aqua regia. It is also an essential ingredient in the manufacture of nitric ester explosives, which makes it a closely watched chemical. Jewelers are able to purchase very small amounts (50ml) to make aqua regia for dissolving gold, platinum, and rhodium. Some plating operations use nitric acid. Fortunately, 70% nitric acid is easy to make.

6.1 Chemicals

One will need to acquire the following chemicals.

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  Concentrated (98%) sulfuric acid H₂SO₄. This acid is used extensively in industry, the most visible use being as battery acid when diluted.
  
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  Sodium Nitrate. This is also a fairly closely watched chemical due to it's application in explosives, but is so widely used in industry that it is fairly easy to obtain. One can also use potassium nitrate in equivalent molar quantities. Look in the drugstore.
  
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  Dry ice. A 20lb block will do nicely; chip into small flakes when used.
  
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  A bag of rock salt and several bags of crushed ice.
  

6.2 Equipment

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  A 2000ml RB flask
  
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  A 1000ml RB flask
  
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  A 30cm West condenser
  
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  A single-element 1000W electric hotplate from the hardware store.
  
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  A medium-sized kitchen pot. The 2000ml RB flask must fit into the pot.
  
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  A lab jack for raising and lowering the hotplate and kitchen pot. A suitable lab jack may be constructed from a scissors-type car jack that has been modified. A 10"x10" flat top is welded on the top, a circular steel plate is welded on for height adjustment, and a nut is welded onto the back bottom surface that will accept a standard lab stand shaft. This is necessary to suspend the 2000ml flask containing our reactants.
  
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  A 3-4" diameter tube about 30cm long (cut to fit). This tube will be fitted around the West condenser, plugged at the lower end, and filled with dry ice. It can be either plastic or cardboard (mailing tubes). Make sure the condenser will fit inside the tube.
  
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  A 2-liter plastic bucket or other container in which the 1000ml RB flask will fit comfortably.
  
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  A controllable vacuum source.