GK SCIENTIST

General Knowledge One Stop Source
Menu
  • Home
  • Social Science
    • History
    • Political Science
    • Geography
  • Science
    • Physics
    • Chemistry
    • Biology
  • Chemistry Notes
  • Mathematics
  • Computer
  • Tutorial MySQL
  • Tutorial Python
  • Java Tutorial
  • English Grammar
  • English Essay
  • Indian Anthropology
  • Philosophy
  • Solved Paper
  • UPSC
  • Current Content
    • Current Affairs
    • RSTV News
    • Yojana and Kurukshetra Gist
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

If you are interested in advertising to our audience, submit the advertising enquiry form.

Advertising Enquiry
Science

Properties of Nitric Acid

Gk Scientist July 10, 2021 No Comments
Tweet WhatsApp Telegram

Table of Contents

  • Properties of Nitric Acid:
    • Physical Properties of Nitric Acid:
    • Chemical Properties of Nitric Acid:
  • Uses of Nitric Acid:

Properties of Nitric Acid:

Physical Properties of Nitric Acid:

  • Pure nitric acid is a colourless liquid.
  • It has a characteristic pungent and choking smell.
  • It is soluble in water in all proportions.
  • It is extremely corrosive and causes painful sores on the skin. It fumes in air.
  • Its specific gravity is 1.52. Its melting point and boiling point are -42°C and 86°C, respectively.

Chemical Properties of Nitric Acid:

(1) Stability- Nitric acid undergoes decomposition on heating to give nitrogen dioxide, oxygen and water.

4HNO3 ———-> 4NO2 + O2 + 2H2O

(2) Acidic Properties- It is a strong acid and ionizes in aqueous solution as under-

HNO3 ———-> H+ + NO3–

(a) Action of blue litmus paper- It turns blue litmus paper red.

(b) Action of alkalis- It neutralizes alkalis to give salt and water. Example-

NaOH + HNO3 ———-> NaNO3 + H2O

(c) Action of metallic carbonate and bicarbonate- Nitric acid decomposes metallic carbonate and bicarbonate.

Na2CO3 + 2HNO3 ———-> 2NaNO3 + CO2 + H2O
NaHCO3 + HNO3 ———-> NaNO3 + CO2 + H2O

(d) Action of metallic oxides- It reacts with metallic oxides to give the corresponding salt and water.

CaO + 2HNO3 ———-> Ca(NO3)2 + H2O

(3) Oxidizing Properties- Nitric acid is a powerful oxidizing agent.

Dilute: 2HNO3 ———-> 2NO + H2O + 3 (O)
Concentrated: 2HNO3 ———-> 2NO2 + H2O + (O)

Nitric acid oxidizes a number of substances.

(a) Oxidation of non-metals- Concentrated HNO3 oxidizes non-metals such as carbon, sulfur and phosphorous.

C + 4HNO3 ———-> 4NO2 + 2H2O + CO2
S + 6HNO3 ———-> 6NO2 + 2H2O + H2SO4

(b) Oxidation of metalloids- Concentrated HNO3 oxidizes metalloids such as tin, arsenic and antimony to give their oxy-acids.

Sn + 4HNO3 ———-> H2SnO3 (meta-stannic acid) + 4NO2 + H2O
As + 5HNO3 ———-> H3AsO4 (arsenic acid) + 5NO2 + H2O

(c) Oxidation of metals- The oxidation of metals depends upon the factors like concentration of nitric acid used, order of activity of metals and temperature of reaction. Most of the metals react with concentrated HNO3 to give NO2 and with dilute HNO3 to evolve NO. Only a few metals react with very dilute nitric acid to evolve hydrogen gas. Let us consider a few examples-

  • Action of copper- With dilute HNO3, copper gives copper nitrate, water and nitric oxide. With concentrated HNO3, copper yields copper nitrate, water and nitrogen dioxide.
Dilute: 3Cu + 8HNO3 ———–> 3Cu(NO3)2 + 2NO + 4H2O
Concentrated: Cu + 4HNO3 ———–> Cu(NO3)2 + 2NO2 + 2H2O
  • Action of zinc- Nitric acid reacts with zinc as under-
Very dilute acid: 4Zn + 10HNO3 ———–> 4Zn(NO3)2 + 3H2O + NH4NO3
Dilute acid: 3Zn + 8HNO3 ———–> 3Zn(NO3)2 + 4H2O + 2NO
Concentrated acid: Zn + 4HNO3 ———–> Zn(NO3)2 + 2H2O + 2NO2
  • Action of magnesium- Magnesium reacts with very dilute HNO3 (say 1%) to give hydrogen gas.
Very dilute acid: Mg + 2HNO3 ———–> Mg(NO3)2 + H2
Similar is the case with manganese i.e.
Mn + 2HNO3 ———–> Mn(NO3)2 + H2
  • Oxidation of compounds- Nitric acid oxidizes a number of compounds, for instance, H2S, KI and FeSO4.
H2S + 2HNO3 ———–> 2H2O + 2NO2 + S
6KI + 8HNO3 ———–> 6KNO3 + 2NO + 4H2O

(4) Action of Aqua regia- A mixture of HCl and HNO3 in the ratio of 3:1 is referred to as aqua regia. This mixture is capable of dissolving noble metals like gold and platinum.

3HCl + HNO3 ———-> 2H2O + NOCl + 2Cl
Au (Gold) + 3Cl ———-> AuCl3 (Gold Chloride)

(5) Action of Proteins- Nitric acid reacts with protein materials such as meat, cheese, wool and silk and produces on them a bright yellow colour.

Uses of Nitric Acid:

Nitric acid is used-

  • In the manufacture of all types of explosives such as nitroglycerine, TNT (trinitrotoluene) etc.
  • In the manufacture of fertilizers like basic calcium nitrate etc.
  • In industry, for the manufacture of rayon, celluloid, perfumes, drugs and dyes.
  • In the production of photochemical substances like silver nitrate.
  • In the purification of gold and silver.

Preparation and Manufacture of Nitric AcidAvogadro Law
Electrochemical Series and its ApplicationsClassification of Matter
Bohr Theory of Atomic StructureAddition Compounds
Classification of Dyes on the basis of ApplicationThe Gaseous State and Liquid State– NIOS
Prev Article
Next Article

Related Articles

Classification of Matter
Classification of Matter: All substances in nature can be classified …
Gk Scientist July 5, 2021 Science

Classification of Matter

Phylum Platyhelminthes (The Flatworms)
Phylum Platyhelminthes: Platyhelminthes is a phylum of dorsoventrally flattened acoelomate …
Gk Scientist February 26, 2021 Science

Phylum Platyhelminthes (The Flatworms)

Electroplating and Electroless Plating
Electroplating: In this process, the coating metal is deposited on …
Gk Scientist December 13, 2021 Science

Electroplating and Electroless Plating

Mechanism Of Urine Formation In Human
Mechanism Of Urine Formation In Human: Nitrogenous wastes are formed …
Gk Scientist October 27, 2020 Biology Questions, Science

Mechanism Of Urine Formation In Human

Photoelectrolysis of Water
Photoelectrolysis of Water: Hydrogen is a very good source of …
Gk Scientist May 11, 2021 Science

Photoelectrolysis of Water

Phylum Echinodermata- The Spiny Skinned Animals
Characteristics of Phylum Echinodermata: Echinoderms are exclusively marine. Most members …
Gk Scientist May 3, 2021 Science

Phylum Echinodermata- The Spiny Skinned Animals

Electrochemical Series and its Applications
What is Electrochemical Series? The standard reduction potentials of a …
Gk Scientist June 21, 2021 Science

Electrochemical Series and its Applications

Difference Between Transpiration and Guttation
Transpiration and Guttation: The following are the points of difference …
Gk Scientist September 21, 2021 Science

Difference Between Transpiration and Guttation

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Search

  • Popular
  • Recent




GK SCIENTIST

General Knowledge One Stop Source

Information

  • About Us
  • Terms and Condition, Disclaimer
  • Contact Us

Android Apps

  • IAS App For English Medium Students
  • IAS Basics App For English Medium Students
  • IAS Hindi App For Hindi Medium Students
DMCA.com Protection Status

Popular Tags

Biology (33) Biology Questions (88) Chemistry (57) Computer (215) Current Affairs (4) Current Content (0) Economy (12) English Essay (172) English Grammar (75) English Literature (10) Geography (83) History (259) Indian Anthropology (11) Indian Polity (14) JKAS Mains Question Papers (17) Mathematics (68) Moral Science (7) NCERT & Other Boards Books (25) Philosophy (114) Physics (89) Political Science (132) RS TV News (33) Science (553) Social Anthropology (7) Social Science (17) Solved Paper (47) UPSC (7) UPSC Mains Question Papers (26)

Downloads

  • NCERT Books
  • Old NCERT Books
  • NIOS Books For IAS, SSC, and State PSC Exam
  • Tamil Nadu Board Books: Important For UPSC, SSC, and State PSC Exam
  • Modern Indian and World History Notes For IAS Exam
  • UPSC Topper 2013 Gaurav Agrawal Notes For IAS Preparation
  • UPSC IAS Prelims General Studies – Previous Year Papers
  • UPSC Mains Question Papers

Copyright © 2023 GK SCIENTIST
Theme by MyThemeShop.com& Hosted On Cloudways

Ad Blocker Detected

Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.

Refresh