Iron(III) nitrate


Iron nitrate, or ferric nitrate, is the chemical compound with the formula Fe3.

Hydrates

Iron nitrate is deliquescent, and it is commonly found as the nonahydrate Fe3·9H2O, which forms colourless to pale violet crystals.
Other hydrates ·x, include:

Decomposition

When dissolved, iron nitrate forms yellow solution due to hydrolysis. When heated to near boiling, nitric acid will evaporate from the solution, and all the iron will precipitate as iron oxide.
The compound will dissolve in molten stearic acid and decompose at about 120 °C to give iron oxide-hydroxide.

Preparation

The compound can be prepared by treating iron metal powder with nitric acid.

Applications

In the chemical laboratory

Ferric nitrate is the catalyst of choice for the synthesis of sodium amide from a solution of sodium in ammonia:
Certain clays impregnated with ferric nitrate have been shown to be useful oxidants in organic synthesis. For example, ferric nitrate on Montmorillonite—a reagent called "Clayfen"—has been employed for the oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and thiols to disulfides.

Other applications

Ferric nitrate solutions are used by jewelers and metalsmiths to etch silver and silver alloys.