Alkali metal nitrates are chemical compounds consisting of an alkali metal (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium and caesium) and the nitrate ion. Only two are of major commercial value, the sodium and potassium salts.[1] They are white, water-soluble salts with melting points ranging from 255 °C (LiNO
3) to 414 °C (CsNO
3) on a relatively narrow span of 159 °C [2]
| Compound | Chemical Formula | Molar Mass | Melting Point | Decomposition Point (°C)[3] | Structure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lithium nitrate | LiNO3 | 68.946 g/mol | 255 °C (491 °F; 528 K) | 474 | 
|
| Sodium nitrate | NaNO3 | 84.9947 g/mol | 308 °C (586 °F; 581° K ) | 525 | 
|
| Potassium nitrate | KNO3 | 101.1032 g/mol | 334 °C (633 °F; 607 K) | 533 | 
|
| Rubidium nitrate | RbNO3 | 147.473 g/mol | 310 °C (590 °F; 583 K) | 548 | 
|
| Caesium nitrate | CsNO3 | 194.91 g/mol | 414 °C (777 °F; 687 K) | 584 | 
|
The melting point of the alkali metal nitrates tends to increase from 255 °C to 414 °C (with an anomaly for rubidium being not properly aligned in the series) as the atomic mass and the ionic radius (naked cation) of the alkaline metal increases, going down in the column. Similarly, but not presented here in the table, the solubility of these salts in water also decreases with the atomic mass of the metal.
- ^ Laue, Wolfgang; Thiemann, Michael; Scheibler, Erich; Wiegand, Karl (2000). "Nitrates and Nitrites". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a17_265. ISBN 978-3527306732.
- ^ "Thermodynamic properties of molten nitrate salts" (PDF).
- ^ Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 469. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.