The reduction of nitrate by the Devarda's alloy is given by the following equation:

A correction is made for any ammonia already in the sample Reduction with Devarda's alloy is an effective technique.

Devarda's alloy is used as reducing agent in analytical chemistry for the determination of nitrates after their reduction to ammonia under alkaline conditions.

When a solution of nitrate ions is mixed with aqueous sodium hydroxide, adding Devarda's alloy and heating the mixture gently, liberates ammonia gas.

The Devarda's alloy is a reducing agent that was commonly used in wet analytical chemistry to produce in situ the so-called nascent hydrogen in alkaline conditions.

GFS Chemicals: Devarda's alloy, reagent (ACS)

Oxidized nitrogen is reduced to ammonia with Devarda's alloy, and this, together with any free ammoniacal nitrogen, is removed from the sample by boiling the alkaline solution.

Berthelot chemistry has also been adapted for the analysis of nitrite and nitrate in soil and water after conversion, typically by reduction with Devarda's alloy, of these species to ammonium.