What is nitromethane made from?

Nitromethane is produced industrially by combining propane and nitric acid in the gas phase at 350–450 °C (662–842 °F). This exothermic reaction produces the four industrially significant nitroalkanes: nitromethane, nitroethane, 1-nitropropane, and 2-nitropropane.

How is nitromethane different from gasoline?

Gasoline is a hydrocarbon, and the common chemical formula for gasoline is C₈H₁₈. Nitromethane has the formula CH₃NO₂. Nitromethane is a little like gasoline that has been pre-mixed with nitrous oxide. The fuel comes with its own oxygen atoms to help it burn.

What is nitromethane fuel made of?

At its base level, nitromethane is an organic compound designated by the chemical formula CH3NO2 and is composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. It is used as an ingredient in explosives, pesticides, coatings, and—as you know—a fuel additive, particularly for motorsports vehicles.

How much does a gallon of nitromethane cost?

… Nitromethane used to power the engines of NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars costs about $16 US per gallon!

How much HP does nitromethane add?

It has been learned that nitromethane can increase power output by as much as 13 percent on an indicated or gross basis when added to methyl alcohol and by 7 percent when added to a benzene-isooctane mixture in concentrations of 20% by volume.

Nitromethane

Can you make nitromethane?

Preparation. Nitromethane is produced industrially by combining propane and nitric acid in the gas phase at 350–450 °C (662–842 °F). This exothermic reaction produces the four industrially significant nitroalkanes: nitromethane, nitroethane, 1-nitropropane, and 2-nitropropane.

Can I put nitromethane in my car?

Nitromethane by itself does not burn, its only supplies more oxygen to the burn. Adding it to gasoline would be the same thing as running very high octane fuel, which involves motor knowlege and reworking to run safely.

How many gallons of nitromethane does a dragster use in one second?

* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced.

What color does nitromethane burn?

Chemicals that burn with a white flame and no additional required fuel include isopropyl nitrite, nitromethane, and hexamine.

Can you buy nitro methane?

Our popular 99.9% Nitromethane in a gallon size. Hyperfuels Nitromethane Bottle - 1 Gallon (Pre-Order) Estimated available to ship June 30th, if purchased by itself, will ship via UPS Ground from our warehouse in Houston, TX.

Is nitromethane safe to burn?

DO NOT use dry chemical extinguishers on a fire. Nitromethane may explosively decompose from SHOCK, FRICTION or CONCUSSION. POISONOUS GASES ARE PRODUCED IN FIRE, including Nitrogen Oxides. CONTAINERS MAY EXPLODE IN FIRE.

How bad is nitromethane for the environment?

Based on this information and the expected low environmental concentrations, it is concluded that nitromethane is not entering the environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that have or may have an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity or that ...

Is methanol the same as nitromethane?

Nitromethane weighs more than methanol

For the same volume, a heavier amount of fuel mixture is needed - that is represented by a smaller numerical air/fuel ratio. This means you will need more fuel per run than you did with straight methanol.

What is the shelf life of nitromethane?

From my experience, it should last well over 1 year. In Quebec we stop racing in september and the season restarts in may. I regularly store fuel over winter and there are no problems.

What kind of fuel does Nascar use?

Sunoco's 260 GTX Racing Gasoline is the official fuel of NASCAR. Sunoco 260 GTX is an unleaded racing fuel that contains no oxygenates and no metal additives (lead). It also does not contain any ethers or alcohols such as ethanol or methanol or any other oxygenates.

Does nitromethane mix with ethanol?

Nitromethane and Ethanol are readily miscible.

Can you drink nitromethane?

A nip of nitromethane wouldn't hurt, either, though you'd get liver and kidney damage if you drank it all the time.

Where is nitromethane manufactured?

Nitromethane is made in three plants in China, one has been offline for a while, others needed retrofitting to meet new pollution requirements. Other makers of nitromethane are in Mexico and in India, mostly for agricultural, much of the worldwide nitromethane is "controlled" by Chinese importers.

Does nitromethane evaporate?

Yes nitromethane evaporates. So does methonal, which also sucks up water.

What kind of engine is in a Top Fuel dragster?

Powered by a supercharged and fuel-injected 500-cubic-inch adaptation of the famed Chrysler Hemi engine, Top Fuel dragsters can burn up to 15 gallons of nitromethane fuel during a single run.

What RPM does a Top Fuel dragster turn?

A Top Fuel dragster reaches more than 300 mph before you have completed reading this sentence. With a redline that can be as high as 9500 rpm, Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light. Including the burnout, the engine needs to survive only 900 revolutions under load.

How much does a Top Fuel dragster motor cost?

Answer provided by. While a pro mod drag car will run anywhere from $275,000 to $350,000, a Top Fuel dragster costs about $500,000. Top Fuel engines that displace 496 cubic inches are most common, and these cars can weigh about 1,000 kilograms. Top Fuel dragsters can produce over 6,000 horsepower.

What does it take to run nitromethane?

What's the secret? Nitromethane carries its own oxygen, so it needs much less atmospheric oxygen to burn. The theoretical ideal or stoichiometric air/fuel ratio for gasoline is 14.7:1. That means, 14.7 pounds of air are needed to burn 1 pound of gas.

What nitromethane is in fast and furious?

Dominic heads to the only car mechanic that sells nitromethane and convinces him to give up information regarding David Park, the man who ordered the fuel. The mechanic tells Dominic that the only car that uses nitromethane is a green 1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport.