Jason -
The price that we pay for liquid nitrogen is $0.20 per liter, but
we buy it through our university, which purchases in bulk and sells at
cost. I expect that retailers selling to the public will have much
higher prices simply for economic reasons... for one, they probably
don't sell a very large volume, so the cost of purchasing and storage
is much higher for them. Also, as private companies, they no doubt mark
up the prices by a fair profit margin.
In order to get liquid nitrogen at a very low price, I suggest that
you try and get in touch with some local companies or universities
which would use liquid nitrogen in bulk and which are not profit-based.
You may need to make some 'inside' friends to help you purchase it.
-Tamara
(published on 10/22/2007)