Following an initial, brief, review of the environmental problems associated with the use of lead based primers, and also some of their potential replacements, this study investigated the preparation of the promising, lead free, energetic material nickel hydrazine nitrate by different methods. All three methods trialed produced the same, analytically indistinguishable, compound but with minor changes in visual appearance. The solution properties governing the precipitation process were investigated in a controlled pH titration experiment. Product solubility in a number of common solvents was investigated. Aqueous ammonia and hydrazine hydrate proved the best "non-destructive solvents" for the solid. UV spectroscopy and conductivity of the solutions obtained was used as an indicator of the processes involved in the solubility. Using the critical pH conditions for precipitation from aqueous solutions of hydrazine and nickel nitrate the formation constant for the tris hydrazine complex was determined. Also using the solubility of the tris-hydrazine complex in concentrated hydrazine hydrate an equilibrium constant for the formation of the soluble hexa-hydrazine complex from insoluble tris hydrazine complex was determined. These values were compared with similar values for nickel hydrazine complexes with other anions. The origins of these differences were discussed. Further work on controlling and measuring the particle size of the NiHN produced should be considered.