PERCHLORIC ACID EXPLAINED — STEP-BY-STEP OVERVIEW
3 min readJun 5, 2021
Topic: Perchloric Acid
Introduction:
I know each one of you have heard about Sulphuric acid. So, as we all know how strong and dangerous Sulphuric acid Is. But today in this article we will learn about an acid which is more dangerous and strong than Sulphuric acid. And the name of that acid is Perchloric Acid. So, let us learn about it in detail. But before defining Perchloric acid firstly let us define acid.
What is an acid ?
Basically, An acid is a liquid with pH value less than 7 Or It is a liquid with high concentration of H+ ions.
So, now as we have knowledge of acid now let us move forward and see about Perchloric acid.
What is a Perchloric acid ?
It is an acid with no color and odor. As I have mentioned above that Perchloric acid is more powerful and dangerous than Sulphuric acid. The Chemical formula of Perchloric acid is HClO4. It is very corrosive in nature and are used in rocket fuel.
(Note: It is not used directly in rocket fuel. It is used for preparation of ammonium perchlorate which is an important component of rocket fuel.)
The another name of this acid is Hyperchloric acid. It is usually found as an aqueous solution due to its corrosive nature and also Perchloric acid is a powerful Oxidizer.
Properties of Perchloric Acid :
• Perchloric acid are found as an aqueous solution.
• It is unstable at room temperature.
• And also It is found as oily liquid at room temperature.
• When Perchloric acid is reacted with water it forms azeotrope ( Azeotrope is a mixture of two or more liquids , the proportion of which cannot be changed by simple distillation process).
• Perchloric acid are capable of diluting itself by absorbing water from the air.
Preparation of Perchloric acid :
The production of Perchloric acid can be done by two processes :
• Traditional Method
• Laboratory Prepara Method
1) Traditional Method
In the traditional method of preparation of Perchloric acid, we treat hydrochloric acid with high aqueous solubility of Sodium Perchlorate.
Required Chemical Reaction :
NaClO4 + HCl — — — — NaCl (Sodium chloride) + HClO4 ( Perchloric acid)
In this reaction we get Sodium chloride ( NaCl ) as a precipitate. This is a long process and also we need to purify the Concentrated acid with the help of distillation process.
2) Laboratory Preparation Method :
In this Laboratory Preparation Method , We treat Sulphuric acid with barium perchlorate to produce Perchloric acid. And in this reaction we get Barium sulfate as a precipitate.
And also we can use another reaction for the prepa of Perchloric acid. For Example : If we treat nitric acid with ammonium perchlorate then we get Perchloric acid and nitrous oxide.
So, these are the methods by which we can prepare Perchloric acid. Now , let us move forward and see the uses of Perchloric acid.
Uses of Perchloric acid :
• The main use of Perchloric acid is for preparation of ammonium perchlorate. Because ammonium perchlorate are used as an important component of rocket fuel. And in this modern era we need lots of rocket fuel for the space exploration and navigation.
• It is also used for extraction of ore and etching of liquid crystal display and critical electronics applications.
So, these are the some important uses of Perchloric acid. Now let us see some additional Information regarding Perchloric acid.
Originally Posted on : https://astroquantumphysics.com/