nitromethane  
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Tower Hobbies
Enter up to 4 keywords or Tower stock numbers
Logged in as Guest



Users viewing this topic: none
  Printable Version
       


BCMA-MT 57 Pro - RTR
Seller:  blackbaron
Details:   $430.00   |  8/16/2008   |  Classified Ad
We will rotate YOUR AD in this spot if you select "Forum Featured" when placing or editing your ad!

All Forums >> Glow Engines, Gas Engines, Fuel & Mfg Support Forums >> RC Fuels >> nitromethane
Page: [1] 2   next >   >>  

Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
nitromethane - 8/9/2002 5:34:40 AM   
sportflyer-RCU


 

Posts: 470
Joined: 2/5/2002
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Status: offline 		I was given 1/2 gallon of nitromethane . It has been in a bottle for several years. Does nitro deteriorate with time? How to tell it its any good? Liquid is clear in color. Tks
       Post #: 1

nitromethane - 8/13/2002 5:11:07 AM   
Fuel Dinosaur


 

Posts: 85
Joined: 6/25/2002
From: Warrenton, GA, USA
Status: offline 		Nitromethane is chemically stable for years when sealed and kept in brown bottles or cans in the dark at room temperature. The fact that it is clear is a good sign. Improperly stored nitro and some cheapo nitromethane from the orient is yellow, or at least has a distinct yellow tinge or even orange. Go ahead and use your nitro and enjoy the power. Store it in the dark and do NOT let the vessel it is stored in heat up in storage or you could get a most unpleasant surprise.

PS In my bag of degrees, I have one BS (chemistry) and doctorate major in biolchemistry and advanced organic chemistry, including advanced oraganic, synthesis, advanced inorganic, physical chemistry, instrumental anaylysis, etc. Have also mixed fuels for over 40 years now. Hope this information helps. Major impurities in nitro are the nitroethanes and nitropropane and a few other things, virtually all of which are flammable anyway. Despite all the incredible hype about nitromethane, Angus Chemicals, now a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co. since about June of 2000 is the ONLY major manufacturer of nitromethane in this hemisphere. Also, Angus makes just ONE grade of nitromethane, about 98.4% pure and it is used for industrial use, car racing, and a very small amount, relatively speaking, for model use. You can select lots of higher purity, usually not necessary above about 99% or so. If you are crafty and can fool most of the people most of the time in your advertising, you can buy cheap Chinese nitro and redistill it, IF you can find industrial chemists stupid enough to do that totally unnecessary and DANGEROUS distillation. Angus distills off the nitro fraction with other compounds to minimize the danger of handling nitromethane, and they do NOT recommend further purification of the nitromethane on a large scale. Despite the hype, it is just far to dangerous. From a chemistry type who still has all ten fingers and 10 toes and BOTH eyes.

(in reply to sportflyer-RCU)
       Post #: 2

nitromethane - 8/13/2002 5:59:06 AM   
sportflyer-RCU


 

Posts: 470
Joined: 2/5/2002
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Status: offline 		Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately the nitro was stored in a clear bottle for as many years as I have had it. The nitro is still very clear. Is it still OK? Is there a simple test ? I will transfer it to a dark bottle once I know it is still good after being stored like it was ! Tks

(in reply to sportflyer-RCU)
       Post #: 3

Nitromethane - 8/13/2002 6:16:18 AM   
Fuel Dinosaur


 

Posts: 85
Joined: 6/25/2002
From: Warrenton, GA, USA
Status: offline 		Proably okay if stored in the dark. Pure (98.4-99.9+%) nitromethane is stable when stored in the dark. That is one reason to use a dark bottle, for example, in case a room or storage place is opened, the dark bottle still protects the nitromethane from photodecomposition and similar effects. Nitro is broken down slowly on exposure to light, but it is a very slow and drawn out process, occurring over months and years of storage. Overall, the chemical stability of nitromethane is pretty good compared to a lot of other chemical compounds. If you put that clear bottle of nitro, tightly capped, in a dark place that does not get any light except when you take out some nitro for your fuel, it will last for years. Brown bottle is just one additional way to protect your nitromethane. I have a couple of 5 gallon metal pails of nitromethane from VP Racing, again, the venerable old Angus nitromethane. I keep them tightly closed in a cool room and take out a gallon or two at a time for mixing up a few custom fuels. Main thing to remember is simply keep straight nitromethane tightly capped, store in the dark at room temperature and do NOT heat up nitromethane bottles or cans, ever. Fuel manufacturers often dilute their nitromethane in methanol for most of their strorage (for convenience and SAFETY) and then keep some pure nitromethane in smaller quantities for special high nitro fuels, usually those at or above 30% nitromethane, like for some helicopter fuels and many boat fuels. Always mix your nitromethane away from sparks, open flames (and PILOT LIGHTS!) and static electricity, preferably OUTSIDE and then immediately put the nitromethane back in the dark, tightly capped. Safety first, just as we try to practice when on the flying field.

(in reply to sportflyer-RCU)
       Post #: 4

nitromethane - 8/13/2002 6:17:05 PM   
Sport_Pilot



Posts: 7652
Joined: 1/21/2002
From: Acworth, GA, USA
Status: online 		"Always mix your nitromethane away from sparks, open flames (and PILOT LIGHTS!) and static electricity, preferably OUTSIDE and then immediately put the nitromethane back in the dark, tightly capped."

Always good advise but unless heated the nitro is unlikely to ignite as the flash point is over 100 degrees. It's the metanol that will ignite with a spark.

(in reply to sportflyer-RCU)
       Post #: 5

nitromethane - 8/14/2002 6:29:00 AM   
Fuelman


 

Posts: 1017
Joined: 12/31/2001
From: Jordan, NY, USA
Status: offline 		Sport Polit,
Please heed the above from "Fuel Dinosaur". All the degrees in the world will not give longevity to one that practices unsafe acts.

Always, Always practice maximum safety when mixing fuels. Plenty of ventelation, proper storage, proper protective gear (gloves, goggles), no smoking or open flames, you know the rest.

If Terry is going to take the time to post here, it is worth reading and paying attention to.


Nitromethane and methanol are very dangerous chemicals, both with flammability and potential medical side effects if IMPROPERLY used, stored, handled, or Not Respected.


Fuelman


_____________________________

Fuelman
Cooper Fuels LLC

(in reply to sportflyer-RCU)
       Post #: 6

nitromethane - 8/14/2002 7:02:47 AM   
Sport_Pilot



Posts: 7652
Joined: 1/21/2002
From: Acworth, GA, USA
Status: online 		Good advise indeed. I just wanted to point out that methanol is more likely to ignite with a spark than nitro. At any rate you will be mixing with methanol and it makes little differance which fuel ignited! I myself have mixed fuel and am hesitant to buy a large quantity of fuel because of the pilot light in the gas water heater.

(in reply to sportflyer-RCU)
       Post #: 7

Yellow nitromethane - 8/20/2002 10:15:36 AM   
JCM


 

Posts: 31
Joined: 8/20/2002
From: Madison, WI, USA
Status: offline 		Modern nitromethane is somewhat yellow because
it has a indicator dye in it. The purpose of this is to let you know if you have accidentally
sensitized it.Sensitized nitro does not burn it explodes(boom). Many years ago in drag racing we did things like this,it was plenty bad.By the way if it turns blue or green it's sensitized. I found out by accident that some gasolines will react with it, so don't mix gasoline with glow fuel.The only clear nitro I've seen is research grade,difficult or impossible to get.I've been burning nitro at high pecentages in car and cycle engines for 22 years now.

(in reply to sportflyer-RCU)
       Post #: 8

nitromethane - 8/20/2002 7:38:33 PM   
RadioJets


 

Posts: 37
Joined: 7/18/2002
Status: offline 		Fuel Dinosaur,

How do u do your rc fuel?

RadioJets

(in reply to sportflyer-RCU)
       Post #: 9

nitromethane - 8/20/2002 8:41:14 PM   
Sport_Pilot



Posts: 7652
Joined: 1/21/2002
From: Acworth, GA, USA
Status: online 		Radio Jets,
I never saw clear nitro, was kinda wondering if maybe I just never ran across some good stuff! Thanks for the info.

(in reply to sportflyer-RCU)
       Post #: 10

nitromethane - 8/25/2002 5:28:21 AM   
w4kv



Posts: 34
Joined: 6/19/2002
From: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Status: offline 		JCM wrote: I found out by accident that some gasolines will react with it, so don't mix gasoline with glow fuel.

_____________
Many years ago I was moving from Durham, NC to Washington, DC, and my old VW squareback was loaded with wife, kids, luggage, model airplanes, and glow fuel. At about 2 a.m. the chariot ran out of gas. Brilliant John decided to try adding a gallon of glow fuel to the fuel tank. Did so! Crank, sputter, hum! Let out on the clutch, thunk! Did the same thing a dozen or so times. I guess that glow fuel doesn't develop the power in a gasoline engine that gasoline does. :disappoin

Walked a couple of miles to a 24-hr service station and used the fuel can for gasoline.

I can say that a 50-50 mixture of Missile Mist and Exxon regular will develop enough power to get an overloaded VW Squareback up to 25 mph, but not to 30!

No known damage to the engine, since it lasted another 10 years or so.

(in reply to sportflyer-RCU)
       Post #: 11

More nitro stuff - 8/29/2002 11:09:25 PM   
Fuel Dinosaur


 

Posts: 85
Joined: 6/25/2002
From: Warrenton, GA, USA
Status: offline 		JCM is right, the analytical and special use nitromethanes for primary standards, etc. are clear. It is expensive for highly purified nitromethane and VP Racing does have yellow dye in their nitromethane. There are also oxidation products that have a yellow to orange tint as well that can occur on longterm storage. Except for very special uses, the regular Angus nitromethane is fine for automobile and model plane use. The purity is somewhere very near 98.4% and up. Depends on the phase of the moon, the date and lot number. Also, the main impurites are flammable too, nitroethanes and nitropropane. Only in the U.S. can we lower our compression ratio to permit burning nitromethane at about $20-$50 a gallon. I was amused at one reply in an e-mail from Australia when the fellow found out I had 5-gallon pails of nitromethane and he asked if I would adopt him. :-) He had been paying about $100 U.S. equivalent per gallon for it there and up to about $120 U.S. per gallon. I think gold bars might be less expensive! Nitro is kind of nice in that it gives us more power, good starting, a good even idle and so forth. We forget sometimes why much of the world uses basically FAI fuel or similar formulations and nitromethane is either grossly expensive, unavailable locally, or even illegal in their country. Just a few reflections from the old fuel mixing dinosaur.

(in reply to sportflyer-RCU)
       Post #: 12

nitromethane - 8/30/2002 5:28:42 PM   
mrc100


 

Posts: 225
Joined: 3/9/2002
From: Rochester, NY, USA
Status: offline 		How readily available is Nitromethane...I would like to buy some to add to my YS 20/20 fuel for additional power. I'm not even sure where a local race / cart store is in my area. NY?

Thx

(in reply to sportflyer-RCU)
       Post #: 13

nitromethane - 9/4/2002 7:05:04 AM   
mrc100


 

Posts: 225
Joined: 3/9/2002
From: Rochester, NY, USA
Status: offline 		Figured it out, never mind. found a kart shop.

(in reply to sportflyer-RCU)
       Post #: 14