Sodium nitrite is produced by which processing method?

• A. Ostwald process
• B. Lindle-Frankl process
• C. Guggenheim process
• D. Alcoa chlorine process

Answer: (B)

Sodium nitrite is made by selectively reducing sodium nitrate to nitrite under controlled conditions, stopping the reaction at the nitrite stage rather than going further to other nitrogen species. The Lindle-Frankl process is the industrial method specifically designed for this reduction, delivering sodium nitrite in large quantities with the right balance of reagents and conditions to favor nitrite formation. The other named processes serve different purposes: the Ostwald process oxidizes ammonia to nitric acid, which is a different chemical pathway; the Alcoa chlorine process produces chlorine gas via electrolysis of brine; and the Guggenheim process is not used for producing sodium nitrite. So the Lindle-Frankl process is the correct method for making sodium nitrite.