Laboratory Chemicals

Chemical name: Sodium Nitrite

IUPAC name: sodium nitrite

Formula: NaNO₂

Appearance: white or slightly yellowish solid

Uses:

• The main use of sodium nitrite is for the industrial production of organonitrogen compounds.
• It is used in a variety of metallurgical applications, for phosphatizing and detinning.
• Sodium nitrite is an effective corrosion inhibitor and is used as an additive in industrial greases,as an aqueous solution in closed loop cooling systems, and in a molten state as a heat transfer medium.

Chemical name: Sodium Acetate

IUPAC name: Sodium acetate

Formula: C₂H₃NaO₂

Appearance: White deliquescent powder

Uses:

• Sodium acetate is used as the carbon source for culturing bacteria. Sodium acetate is also useful for increasing yields of DNA isolation by ethanol precipitation.
• Sodium acetate is used in the textile industry to neutralize sulfuric acid waste streams and also as a photoresist while using aniline dyes.

Chemical name: Potassium permanganate

IUPAC name: Potassium manganate(VII)

Formula: KMnO₄

Appearance: Purplish-bronze-gray needles, Magenta–rose in solution

Uses:

• Potassium permanganate is widely used in chemical industry and laboratories as a strong oxidizing agent, and also as a medication for dermatitis, for cleaning wounds, and general disinfection.
• Potassium permanganate is used for a number of skin conditions.
• This includes fungal infections of the foot, impetigo, pemphigus, superficial wounds, dermatitis, and tropical ulcers.

Chemical name: Potassium nitrate

IUPAC name: Potassium nitrate

Formula: KNO₃

Appearance: white solid

Uses:

• The most famous use of potassium nitrate is probably as the oxidizer in blackpowder.
• It is also used in fireworks such as smoke bombs.
• It is also added to cigarettes to maintain an even burn of the tobacco and is used to ensure complete combustion of paper cartridges for cap and ball revolvers.

Chemical name: Phosphoric Acid

IUPAC name: Phosphoric acid

Formula: H₃PO₄

Appearance: colorless syrup

Uses:

• The dominant use of phosphoric acid is for fertilizers, consuming approximately 90% of production.
• Food-grade phosphoric acid (additive E338) is used to acidify foods and beverages such as various colas and jams, providing a tangy or sour taste.

Chemical name: Oxalic acid

IUPAC name: Oxalic acid

Formula: C₂H₂O₄

Appearance: White crystals

Uses:

• About 25% of produced oxalic acid will be used as a mordant in dyeing processes.
• It is used in bleaches, especially for pulpwood.
• It is also used in baking powder and as a third reagent in silica analysis instruments.