Nitric Acid - Uses, Structure and Formula
Molar mass: 63.012 g·mol−1
Melting point: −42 °C
Boiling point: 83 °C
WHAT IS NITRIC ACID?
Nitric acid is a highly corrosive mineral acid. It is also referred to as the spirit of nitre and aqua fortis. It is colorless. However old samples of nitric oxides may turn yellow due to the decomposition into oxides of nitrogen and water.
Fuming nitric acid is a solution containing more than 86% of nitric acid in water. The fuming nitric acid can be further divided into red fuming nitric acid (when the concentration is above 86%) and white fuming nitric acid ( when the concentration is more than 95%).
STRUCTURE OF NITRIC ACID
Nitric acid has a planar structure. Nitrogen is attached to three atoms of oxygen. Two of the nitrogen-oxygen bonds are equivalent and show resonance with double bond character.
This is the structure of nitric acid with its resonance forms.
USES OF NITRIC ACID
Nitric acid is an essential component of fertilizers.It is used to most in the production of fertilizers.It is neutralized with ammonia to give ammonia nitrate.
2. PRECURSOR TO ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
Nitration is carried out with the help of nitric acid for the addition of the nitro group. Most of the derivatives of aniline are prepared by the nitration of aromatic compounds which is then followed by reduction. Nitration includes combining nitric and sulphuric acid in order to form nitronium ion that reacts electrophilically with aromatic compounds like benzene.
3. NITRIC ACID AS AN OXIDANT
Cyclohexanone undergoes oxidation with nitric acid which is a precursor form adipic acid.
4. ROCKET PROPELLANT
NItric acid has been used in various forms as an oxidizer in liquid-fueled rockets. These forms include red fuming nitric acid, white fuming nitric acid as well as mixtures of sulphuric acid along with HF inhibitor.
5. ANALYTICAL REAGENT
Dilute nitric acid is used to determine metal traces in solutions. For such determinations, ultrapure trace metal grade acid is required because a small number of metal ions could affect the result of the analysis.
In electrochemistry, nitric acid is used in the purification processes of raw carbon nanotubes as well as a chemical doping agent for organic semiconductors.
6. WOODWORKING
Low concentrations of nitric acid(approximately 10%) are used to artificially age pine and maple to produce a grey-gold color which gives an old wax more oil finished wood look.
7.CLEANING AGENT
5–30% nitric acid and 15–40% phosphoric acid is commonly used for cleaning and dairy equipment to remove primarily calcium and magnesium compounds which are produced from the use of hard water during production or purification, or it could be deposited from the process stream.
The corrosive effects of nitric acid are used in pickling stainless steel as well as for cleaning silicon wafers in electronics.
Nitric acid is used with hydrochloric acid or alone to clean glass coverslips and glass slides for high-end microscopy applications. It is also used to clean glass before silvering while producing silver mirrors.
8. IN DAILY LIFE
One of the most common uses of nitric acid is that it is found as a reagent in the school labs. It is also used for spot tests of alkaloids such as LSD. It is also used to perform the colorimetric analysis, in which using nitric acid one can differentiate between heroin and morphine.
Safety issues
Nitric acid is one among the most corrosive acids and is also a strong oxidizing agent. One of the significant hazard posed by it is skin burns. The chemical burns are fast and painful as it carries our acid hydrolysis faster with fats (ester) and proteins (amide). It leaves a yellow stain as it reacts with keratin. The yellow stains turn orange when neutralized. Washing it with water for 10-15 minutes can provide relief in case of burns.
FAQs on Nitric Acid
1. What is nitric acid?
Nitric acid (aqua fortis or spirit of nitre) is one of the strong acids (proton donor and pH of nitric acid is 3.01) with the chemical formula of \[HN{{O}_{3}}\]. As nitrogen in nitric acid is at its highest oxidation state (the maximum oxidation state of nitrogen is +5) so it tends to act as an oxidizing agent (because of the tendency to gain or reduce itself). It is highly reactive, highly corrosive, and toxic (can cause immediate skin burning).
2. Discuss the structure of nitric acid like vedantu explained.
In nitric acid, nitrogen is a central atom, and oxygen atoms (3 oxygen atoms) are surrounding atoms. In nitric acid, nitrogen formed a double bond with one oxygen atom, one single bond with another oxygen atom with hydrogen (hydroxide), and one coordinate bond with another oxygen atom. This is the same as pointed out by Vedantu and also in the coordinate bond nitrogen gives one electron to oxygen (lone pair one electron), so, nitrogen gains one positive charge (+1 oxidation state) and oxygen gains one negative charge (-1 oxidation state). So, the nitric acid is neutral.
3. Does Vedantu help to revise the physical properties of nitric acid.
Vedantu is helping with a number of relevant topics to nitric acid such as molecular weight or molar mass of the nitric acid is 63.01 g/mol. Nitric acid in its pure form is colorless but as it gets modified or older its color turns to yellow fumes (decomposition of nitric acid results in color change). Vedantu also pointed out the melting and boiling point of nitric acid which is -42 degree Celsius and 83 degree Celsius. The average density of nitric acid is 1.51 g/cm3. It is fuming in appearance and has a suffocating odor.
4. What are the uses of nitric acid as discussed at Vedantu?
Vedantu is one of the helping websites and comes forward with most important uses of nitric acid such as ammonium nitrate (produced from nitric acid), is used as a fertilizing agent, for manufacturing dyes and plastic. Also nitric acid is used as a strong oxidizing agent (used for the formation of adipic acid from oil) and it is used as an oxidizer in rockets (liquid-fueled). When cyclohexanone is made to oxidize with nitric acid it converts to adipic acid. Vedantu also has highlighted that nitric acid is used as an analytic reagent (helps to determine the metal traces in any solution) and also low concentrated nitric acid is used for a wood-finishing look. In daily use nitric acid is used as a very helpful reagent in the laboratory and as a cleaning agent.
5. How is nitric acid formed naturally? What will happen when nitric acid is heated?
Nitric acid is a nitrogen oxoacid that is formed when rainwater reacts with nitrogen dioxide gas (released during a volcanic eruption and waste discharge from a factory). Now if we heat nitric acid it will decompose to give the reactant from which it formed (water and nitrogen dioxide) or we can say that heating nitric acid is the reverse reaction or backward reaction to the formation of nitric acid.
