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

3.

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

4.

Dip the paper in the mixture

5.

Wash the sheets

6. 7.

Leave them to dry Make another solution of 100 ml sulphuric and 50 nitirc (to insure that nitration is complete)

8.

Wash and dry then enjoy

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

Cellulose is a naturally occurring polymer obtained 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, most nitrocellulose 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 pyrocellulose and 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 solventbased 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.

Reactions : Typical nitration syntheses apply so-called "mixed acid", a mixture of concentrated nitric acid and sulfuric acids.[2] This mixture produces the nitronium ion (NO2+), which is the active species inaromatic nitration. This active ingredient, which can be isolated in the case of nitronium tetrafluoroborate,[3] also effects nitration without the need for the mixed acid. In mixed-acid syntheses sulfuric acid is not consumed and hence acts as a catalyst as well as an absorbent for water. In the case of nitration of benzene, the reaction is conducted at 50 C. The process is one example of electrophilic aromatic substitution, which involves the attack by the electron-rich benzene ring:

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

[O=N=O]+

+ [O=N=O]+