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15.9C: Nitric Acid, \(HNO_3\), and its Derivatives

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    The Nitronium Ion

    • This ion is present in nitric acid which autoionizes thus:
      2HNO3 alt NO2+ + NO3– + H2O

      It is also formed in mixtures of nitric and sulphuric acid:

      HNO3 + H2SO4 alt NO2+ + HSO4– + H2O
    • It is the electrophile in organic nitration reactions.
    • It can be isolated as its perchlorate [NO2]+[ClO4]– and as its pyrosulphate:
      HNO3 + SO3 alt [NO2]+[HS2O7]–
    • It is linear and isoelectronic with CO2

    Summary of Reaction and Interconversions Among the Oxides, Oxo Acids and Oxo Anions of Nitrogen

    These species and many of their interconversions are of considerable industrial and environmental importance:

    alt

    Reactions that do not involve disproportionation Reactions involving disproportionation
    (a) 2NO2 + O3 alt N2O5 + O2

    (b) 2NO2 + H2O2 alt 2HNO3

    (c) 2NO2 alt N2O4

    (d) N2O4 + xs Cu alt Cu(NO3)2

    (e) 2HNO2 + 2HI alt I2 + 2NO + 2H2O

    (f) Fe2+ + HNO2 + H+ alt Fe3+ + NO + H2O

    (g) 2NO + O2 + 2NO2

    (h) 2Cu + NO2 alt Cu2O + NO

    (i) C + NO2 alt CO2 + ½N2

    (j) NO2 + 2H2 alt ½N2 + 2H2O

    (k) 2NO2 + 7H2 alt 2NH3 + 4H2O

    (l) N2 + 3H2 alt 2NH3

    (m) 4NH3 + 3O2 alt 2N2 + 6H2O

    (n) 4NH3 + 5O2 alt 4NO + 6H2O

    (o) N2 + O2 alt 2NO

    		 (a') 2NO2 + H2O alt HNO3 + HNO2

    (b') N2O4 alt NO+ + NO3–

    (c') N2O4 + 3H2SO4 alt NO+ + NO2+ + 3HSO4– + H3O+

    (d') 3HNO3 alt HNO2 + 2NO + H2O

    (e') 3NO alt N2O + NO2

    15.9C: Nitric Acid, \(HNO_3\), and its Derivatives is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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