nitric acid

Thân thiện

A scientist carefully pours nitric acid into a beaker in the laboratory.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A corrosive, strong mineral acid: Nitric acid is a highly corrosive and toxic strong acid with the chemical formula HNO₃. It is a colorless liquid when pure but often appears yellow due to decomposition into nitrogen oxides and water.
   • An important industrial chemical: It is primarily used in the production of fertilizers (like ammonium nitrate), explosives (like nitroglycerin and TNT), and as an oxidizing agent in rocket fuels and various chemical syntheses.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The laboratory handles nitric acid with extreme care due to its corrosive nature.
  • Nitric acid is a key raw material in the manufacture of many fertilizers.
  • The spill of nitric acid required an emergency hazardous materials response.

Advanced Usage

• "Fuming nitric acid": A concentrated form of nitric acid that contains dissolved nitrogen dioxide, making it reddish-brown and even more reactive. It is used as a rocket propellant oxidizer.
  • Fuming nitric acid was used in some early rocket designs.

Variants and Related Words

• Nitrate (n): A salt or ester of nitric acid, commonly found in fertilizers and explosives.
  • Potassium nitrate is a compound derived from nitric acid.
• Nitration (n): A chemical process that introduces a nitro group into an organic compound, often using nitric acid.
  • The nitration of benzene is a classic organic chemistry reaction.

Synonyms

• Aqua fortis: An archaic historical name for nitric acid.
• HNO₃: The standard chemical formula for nitric acid.

Related Phrases

• Nitric acid test: A chemical test using nitric acid, such as for identifying certain metals.
  • The nitric acid test can distinguish between silver and other white metals.

Học thuật

Noun

1. acid used especially in the production of fertilizers and explosives and rocket fuels

Từ đồng nghĩa

• aqua fortis