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Aim : to make nitrocellulose(flash paper) in the laboratory

why did I choose this topic : I am a magician , and flash paper is one the most widely used

items , they are used for productions/vanishes , and in pyro acts. I wanted to choose a topic

which incorporated both chemistry and magic. Thus I thought why not make my own flash paper

rather than ordering them from abroad.

Nitrocellulose Materials Christian Friedrich Schnbein's procedure has been widely used. It

calls for 1 part cotton to 15 parts acid.

concentrated nitric acid

concentrated sulfuric acid

cotton balls (almost pure cellulose)

Nitrocellulose Preparation

1. Chill the acids below 0C.(we freezed the solutions kept in a bearker in the freezwer)

2. Cut the cotton paper in the shape of small rectangles

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3. Take 150 ml conc sulphuric and 60 ml of conc nitric acid

4. Dip the paper in the mixture

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5. Wash the sheets

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6. Leave them to dry

7. Make another solution of 100 ml sulphuric and 50 nitirc (to insure that nitration is

complete)

8. Wash and dry then enjoy

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Shreds of nitrocellulose will burst into flame if exposed to the heat of a burner or a match. It

doesn't take much (either heat or nitrocellulose), so don't get carried away! If you want actual

flash paper, you can nitrate ordinary paper (which is primarily cellulose) in the same manner as

cotton.

Composition, properties, and manufacture of

nitrocellulose

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Cellulose is a naturally occurringpolymerobtained from wood pulp or the short fibres (linters)

that adhere to cotton seeds. It consists of repeating glucose units that have the chemical

formula C6H7O2(OH)3 and the following molecular structure:

In unaltered cellulose the X in the molecular formula represents hydrogen (H), indicating a

presence on the cellulose molecule of three hydroxyl (OH) groups. The OH groups form strong

hydrogen bonds between cellulose molecules, with the result that cellulose cannot be softened

by heat or dissolved by solvents without causing chemical decomposition. However, upon

treatment with nitric acid in the presence of a sulfuric acid catalyst and water, OH groups are

replaced by nitro (NO2) groups. In theory, all three OH groups can be replaced, resulting in

cellulosetrinitrate, which contains more than 14 percent nitrogen. In practice, however, mostnitrocellulose compounds are dinitrates, averaging 1.8 to 2.8 nitro groups per molecule and

containing from 10.5 to 13.5 percent nitrogen. The degree of nitration determines the solubility

and flammability of the final product.

Highly nitrated cellulosei.e., nitrocellulose containing more than approximately 12.5 percent

nitrogenwill dry to a fluffy white substance known variously as pyrocelluloseand guncotton.

Guncotton is unstable to heat, and even carefully prepared samples will ignite on a brief heating

to temperatures in excess of 150 C (300 F). Guncotton is employed in gunpowders, solid

rocket propellants, and explosives. Moderately nitrated cellulose (containing approximately 10.5

to 12.5 percent nitrogen) is also flammable, though less violently so than guncotton, and is

soluble in alcohols and ethers. Nitrocellulose of this type, once referred to by various names

such as pyroxylin, xyloidin, and collodioncotton, is employed as a film-forming agent in solvent-

based paints, protective coatings, and fingernail polishes.

In the commercial manufacture of nitrocellulose,wood pulp is the primary source of cellulose.

Cellulose sheet and nitrating acids are fed into a reacting vessel, where nitration proceeds until

the acids have been centrifuged from the nitrated product. Remaining acid is removed by

washing the nitrocellulose slurry in water and boiling it in a caustic solution. The product is often

treated with various stabilizers to reduce degradation under exposure to light and heat. In order

to reduce the likelihood of combustion, nitrocellulose is usually stored and transported in water

or alcohol.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/468696/polymerhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/468696/polymerhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/139828/cottonhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/101633/cellulosehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/416068/nitric-acidhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/572815/sulfuric-acidhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/484937/pyrocellulosehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/484937/pyrocellulosehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/249397/guncottonhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/125889/collodionhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/647459/wood-pulphttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/647459/wood-pulphttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/139828/cottonhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/101633/cellulosehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/416068/nitric-acidhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/572815/sulfuric-acidhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/484937/pyrocellulosehttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/249397/guncottonhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/125889/collodionhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/647459/wood-pulphttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/468696/polymer

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Reactions :

Typical nitration syntheses apply so-called "mixed acid", a mixture of concentratednitric

acidandsulfuric acids.[2] This mixture produces thenitronium ion (NO2+), which is the active species

inaromatic nitration. This active ingredient, which can be isolated in the case ofnitronium

tetrafluoroborate,

[3]

also effects nitration without the need for the mixed acid. In mixed-acid synthesessulfuric acid is not consumed and hence acts as a catalystas well as an absorbent for water. In the

case of nitration ofbenzene, the reaction is conducted at 50 C. The process is one example

ofelectrophilic aromatic substitution, which involves the attack by the electron-richbenzene ring:

Similarly here

The sulphuric donates a proton to the nitric acid to make a nitronium ion

[O=N=O]+

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_acidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_acidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_acidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_acidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric_acidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric_acidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric_acidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitration#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitronium_ionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitronium_ionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitronium_tetrafluoroboratehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitronium_tetrafluoroboratehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitronium_tetrafluoroboratehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitration#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalysthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalysthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzenehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrophilic_aromatic_substitutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrophilic_aromatic_substitutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzenehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzenehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AromaticNitrationMechanism.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_acidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_acidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric_acidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitration#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitronium_ionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitronium_tetrafluoroboratehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitronium_tetrafluoroboratehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitration#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalysthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzenehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrophilic_aromatic_substitutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzene

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+

[O=N=O]+

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