Product Overview
Nitric Acid 70% ACS Grade - Low Particle is a strong mineral acid and oxidizer supplied as a pale yellow to reddish brown liquid. At 70% concentration (CAS 7697-37-2), this sits at the upper end of what distributors routinely handle in white fuming form — dense, fully miscible with water, and carrying the characteristic choking odor operators associate with concentrated HNO₃. The low-particle designation reflects a filtration specification aimed at buyers running analytical instrumentation, semiconductor fabrication, or other particle-sensitive processes.
Available to order in sizes from 1-liter bottles through 55-gallon drums, this product serves analytical labs, electronics fabs, metal finishing shops, and water treatment operations that need an ACS Grade acid at working concentration. Every shipment is classified as hazmat under DOT and ships with full documentation from our Taylor, TX facility — unlike many competitors, hazmat shipping is a daily operation here, not an exception.
Why This Concentration
70% sits at the practical ceiling for white fuming nitric acid — concentrated enough to drive aggressive etching, passivation, and oxidation reactions, yet below the red fuming threshold where handling and storage demands escalate sharply. For today's analytical and semiconductor workflows, this concentration delivers the reactive strength the process requires without the extreme volatility of higher forms.
For buyers choosing between concentrations: Nitric Acid 25% and Nitric Acid 40% work well for pH adjustment, cleaning, and dilute applications where a milder acid reduces PPE burden and simplifies storage. Nitric Acid 65% ACS Grade offers a slightly lower strength when your process calls for ACS Grade without the full 70%. For general-purpose descaling, neutralization, or rinse-water acidification at lower cost, Nitric Acid 5% and Nitric Acid 20% are practical choices.
The ACS Grade designation with low-particle specification is what separates this product from technical or industrial grades. Buyers in analytical chemistry, HPLC preparation, and semiconductor etching select this grade because particle contamination directly affects their results. If your process does not require particle control or ACS-level procurement, a technical grade at 65% or 70% will often serve at lower cost.
Chemical Profile
Nitric acid (HNO₃, molecular weight 63.013, CAS 7697-37-2) at 70% concentration presents as a pale yellow to reddish brown liquid that produces reddish brown vapors with a suffocating, characteristic choking odor. The solution is dense — 1.413 g/mL at 20 °C for the 70% w/w aqueous solution, approximately 12 lb per gal. It is fully miscible with water and exerts a vapor pressure of 48 mmHg at ambient temperature, high enough that adequate ventilation is non-negotiable during any handling operation. This is a strong oxidizer: it corrodes most metals and accelerates the burning of combustible materials on contact.
Industrial Applications
At 70% ACS Grade with low-particle specification, this nitric acid serves processes where both concentration and cleanliness matter. The key applications:
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HPLC Mobile Phase Preparation — Analytical laboratories use nitric acid as a mobile phase component in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography for separating organic compounds. The low-particle specification is directly relevant here: particulates in the mobile phase damage columns and skew retention times. Labs preparing multi-element standards and running trace-metal analysis depend on acid that will not introduce contamination into the instrument.
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Metal Etching and Passivation — In electronics manufacturing and metal finishing, 70% nitric acid etches silicon wafers, stainless steel, and other substrates. The acid dissolves surface metal uniformly when process parameters are controlled. Passivation baths for stainless steel often specify nitric acid at this concentration range to form the protective chromium oxide layer that prevents corrosion.
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Oxidizing Reactions — As one of the strongest commonly handled mineral acid oxidizers, 70% HNO₃ drives a wide range of industrial oxidation processes. It dissolves metals that resist hydrochloric acid alone and participates in mixed-acid formulations — aqua regia, for instance, pairs it with HCl to dissolve noble metals.
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Water Treatment — Water treatment operators use nitric acid for pH adjustment in process water and to remove mineral scale from equipment. The acid's oxidizing character helps break down organic fouling in addition to adjusting alkalinity.
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Nitrate Production — Nitric acid is the precursor for producing ammonium nitrate and other nitrate compounds used across agriculture and industrial chemistry. The 70% concentration provides the reactive strength these synthesis steps demand.
Handling & Storage
Nitric acid 70% carries a GHS signal word of Danger (per the product's GHS classification). The governing hazard statements:
- H272: May intensify fire; oxidiser (per the product's GHS classification)
- H290: May be corrosive to metals (per the product's GHS classification)
- H314: Causes severe skin burns and eye damage (per the product's GHS classification)
- H331: Toxic if inhaled (per the product's GHS classification)
- EUH071: Corrosive to the respiratory tract (per the product's GHS classification)
Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from incompatible substances. Use HDPE or glass containers — nitric acid attacks most metals and many common plastics. Keep it strictly segregated from organic materials, reducing agents, and combustible stock; as a Class 5.1 oxidizer, contact with combustibles can cause ignition. Protect containers from direct sunlight and heat sources to maintain product integrity.
Operators handling this acid need chemical-splash goggles, face shield, acid-resistant gloves (neoprene or butyl rubber), and a chemical-resistant apron at minimum. Work only in areas with mechanical ventilation or under a fume hood — at 48 mmHg vapor pressure, hazardous concentrations build quickly in enclosed spaces. An emergency eyewash and safety shower must be within immediate reach of the work area.
Hazmat & Shipping
This product ships as a fully regulated hazardous material under DOT. The transport classification:
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UN Number: UN2031 (per 49 CFR 172.101)
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Hazard Class: 8 (Corrosive), with subsidiary hazard 5.1 (Oxidizer) (per 49 CFR 172.101)
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Packing Group: II (per 49 CFR 172.101)
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Proper Shipping Name: Nitric acid, other than red fuming, with at least 65 percent, but not more than 70 percent nitric acid (per 49 CFR 172.101)
Every outbound shipment from our Taylor, TX warehouse carries the required DOT shipping papers, hazmat placards, and package markings. Our crew handles the classification, packaging, and documentation — this is daily work for our team, not a special request.
Documentation
A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is included with every order, available in English, Spanish, French, and Japanese. Lot-specific Certificates of Analysis (COA) are available on request, documenting the analytical results for the specific production lot you receive. A Technical Data Sheet (TDS) is also on file for reference. If you need documentation before ordering, contact us and we will send it over.
Why Buy from Alliance Chemical
This nitric acid is offered in sizes from 1-liter bottles to 55-gal drums, with full hazmat documentation — SDS, shipping papers, and COA on request — prepared by our team for every shipment from 204 S Edmond St, Taylor, Texas. Alliance Chemical has operated as a hazmat chemical distributor since 1998, serving over 55,000 customers across industrial, analytical, and institutional markets. Shipping and handling guidance on this page has been reviewed by Andre Taki, DOT Hazmat Specialist.
