Nitric Acid

Nitric sultry is a highly reactive oxidizing agent used in making fertilizers, explosives, and rocket fuels, and in a replete(p) variety of industrial metallurgical processes. It is also a comp unrivalednt of pane of glass rain. Its chemical formula is HNO3 and it has been know as aqua fortis, which means strong water, to alchemists. It is a transparent, colorless to yellowish, fuming mordant liquid. Nitric acid is a strong acid and therefore it completely dissociates in water. It has a gravity of 1. 41 and the conpennyration of the hydronium ions(1) yields a pH of 0. . Its boiling point is 122C and its melting point is -42C. It was first mentioned by Pseuso-Geber, a European alchemist born in the 13th century. Described by Albert the bully in the 13th century and named by Ramon Lull, who disposed(p) it and called it eau forte (aqua fortis). There were hatful saying that it was discovered by Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac or Johann Rudolf, but nobody knows who rightfully did discove r that. As it is a intoxicating, oxidizing acid, it reacts around with metals, but does not react with tenuous gold.However, noble metals could be oxidized and dissolved by nitrous acid which hightail its to colour changes of gold-alloy surface. So azotic acid is used in jewelry shops to spot low-gold alloys ( 14 carats(2)) and to asses the gold purity. Nitric acid also reacts powerfully with most of the organic material, which may also explode. It reacts with non-metallic elements except for nitrogen, oxygen, noble gases, silicon and halogens. It oxides them to their highest oxidation states(3) as acids with the formation of nitrogen dioxide for concentrated acid and nitrous oxide for dilute acid.Chromium (Cr), beseech (Fe) and aluminium (Al) dissolve in dilute nitric acid, which the concentrated acid forms a metal oxide layer that protects the metal from further oxidation, and it is called passivation. Nitric acid thunder mug be made in laboratory or industrially. In labor atory, nitric acid plunder be made from bullshit(II) nitrate or by reacting close to equal masses of a nitrate salt with 96% sulfuric acid (H2SO4), and distilling this mixture at nitric acids boiling point of 83 C until merely a white crystalline mass, a metal sulfate, remains. Then, the red fuming itric acid obtained may be converted to the white nitric acid, which the equation is H2SO4 + NO? 3 HSO? 4(s) + HNO3(g). In view of the fact that it is a really violent and strong acid, people make this acid for many different uses. It can be used in various forms as the oxidizer in liquid-fueled rockets. The forms include red fuming nitric acid and white fuming nitric acid. Red fuming nitric acid, known as RFNA, is a oxidizer used as a rocket propellant, which can be stored precise long. It consists mainly of nitric acid, but also contains 13% of dinitrogen tetroxide(4) and 3% of water.It breaks down to a certain degree to form nitrogen dioxide. The white fuming nitric acid, known a s WFNA, does not contain free dinitrogen tetroxide. It consists of pure nitric acid with 2% of water and less than 0. 5% of dissolved nitrogen dioxide. If the forms are mixed with sulfuric acid, it forms with the HF inhibitor. Nitric acid can also be used in some woodwork. In a low concentration (10% of nitric acid in water), it is sometimes used to artificially make pines and maple look older. It produces a grey-gold, old looking wood colour on wood.By looking at the usage of nitric acid, we can see that, this assortment of acid has a great impact to the society and the global economy. As it is not quite expensive, and you can make it in laboratories, there were many incidents where people throw glasses containers holding nitric acid on crowed streets. Many people got hurt, the nitric acid burnt through their clothes and burn them. gruelling nitric acid makes human skin yellow, because of a reaction with keratin(5). The keratin is the key structural material making up the outer layer of the human skin, and it is also a structural component of hair and nails.It will turn orange when neutralized. However, this acid has many usages and also helps us a lot. It helps the astronauts to fly to spot where nitric acid is used in rocket fuels. It also helps us decorate our places with artificial old wood furniture. This acid creates more job opportunities in the job market as the companies need people to work for it. Nitric acid is super hazardous and corrosive, and mostly, a poison. Inhaling will cause you breathing problems and lead to pneumonia and pulmonary edema, which may be fatal.Other symptoms may include choking, coughing, irritation of both nose and throat, and also respiratory tract. Ingesting it can cause sudden burn or pain in the mouth, throat, esophagus, and gastrointestinal tract. It can also cause skin burns if there is any skin contact. Concentrated solutions can cause dense ulcers and stain skin a yellow or yellow-brown colour. If it gets into the eye, it is even worse, as it is corrosive, the vapors are irritating and will cause damage to the eye including burns and permanent eye damage.Long-term exposure to concentrated vapors may cause erosion of teeth and lung damage. Long-term exposures seldom occur due to the corrosive properties of the acid. People with pre-existing skin disorders, eye disease, or cardiopulmonary diseases must be susceptible to the effects of this substance. There are rules to follow when using the nitric acid. If people dont follow it, it will be very dangerous to use it. Acid rain is a form of precipitation which contains a high level of sulfuric and nitric acids.It has a pH of approximately 5. 5-5. 6. It is produced when sulfur dioxide and various nitrogen oxides combine together with atmospheric moisture. Acid rain can contaminate drinking water, damage the plants and aquatic life. It also erode buildings and monuments. If the plants are damaged, people wont be abled to see the green things on ce more and will also affect our eye-sight. And we wont have vegetables to eat after acid rain because acid may cause many slanderous effects to our body. If we still eat the vegetables, thus we be sick.The government had made an effort to reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide released, but it can be produced by nature by volcanic eruptions. Nitrogen oxide can be produced by lightning strikes. Acid rain had became a political issue in 1980s, where Canada claimed that pollutants from the US were contaminating the forests and waters, so power plants were asked to reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide released. Although there are harmful effects of nitric acid, people still keep on producing nitric acid. They only if reduced producing them, still shows that there are still benefits of this acidNitric AcidCopper + Nitric Acid Copper is a reddish-brown metal, astray used in plumbing and electrical wiring it is perhaps most familiar to people in the United States in the form of the penny . (Although since 1983, pennies are actually made of zinc surrounded by a paper-thin copper color foil to give them the traditional appearance of pennies. ) Copper is oxidized by concentrated nitric acid, HNO3, to produce Cu2+ ions the nitric acid is reduced to nitrogen dioxide, a poisonous brown gas with an irritating odor Cu(s) + 4HNO3(aq) Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2NO2(g) + 2H2O(l)When the copper is first oxidized, the solution is very concentrated, and the Cu2+ product is initially coordinated to nitrate ions from the nitric acid, giving the solution first a green, and then a greenish-brownish color. When the solution is diluted with water, water molecules give the sack the nitrate ions in the coordinate sites around the copper ions, causing the solution to change to a regretful color. In dilute nitric acid, the reaction produces nitric oxide, NO, instead 3Cu(s) + 8HNO3(aq) 3Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2NO(g) + 4H2O(l)In the following demonstration, a balled-up piece of thin copper wire is added to about 100 mL of concentrated nitric acid once the copper is added the evolution of nitrogen dioxide occurs quickly. Once all of the copper has reacted, the solution is diluted with distilled water, changing the solution from a dark brown to a pale blue color. This demonstration can be done with copper in the form of shot, pellets, thicker wire, or bars, but is a great deal slower than with copper wire. ikon Clip REAL, 7. 02 MB pic pic pic pic pic pic pic pic pic pic pic pic pic pic pic pic pic pic A Historical Sidelight Ira Remsen on Copper and Nitric Acid Ira Remsen (1846-1927) founded the chemistry department at Johns Hopkins University, and founded one of the first centers for chemical research in the United States saccharin was discovered in his research lab in 1879. Like many chemists, he had a vivid learning experience, which led to a heightened interest in laboratory work While reading a textbook of chemistry I came upon the statement, nitric acid acts upon copper . I was getting tired of reading such absurd stuff and I was determined to see what this meant.Copper was more or less familiar to me, for copper cents were then in use. I had seen a bottle marked nitric acid on a table in the doctors office where I was then doing time. I did not know its peculiarities, but the spirit of adventure was upon me. Having nitric acid and copper, I had only to learn what the words act upon meant. The statement nitric acid acts upon copper would be something more than mere words. All was still. In the interest of knowledge I was even willing to sacrifice one of the fewer copper cents then in my possession.I put one of them on the table, opened the bottle marked nitric acid, poured some of the liquid on the copper and prepared to make an observation. But what was this wonderful thing which I beheld? The cent was already changed and it was no small change either. A green-blue liquid foamed and fumed over the cent and over the table. The air in the neighbo rhood of the performance became colored dark red. A great colored cloud arose. This was disagreeable and suffocating. How should I stop this? I tried to get rid of the objectionable mess by picking it up and throwing it out of the window.I learned another fact. Nitric acid not only acts upon copper, but it acts upon fingers. The pain led to another unpremeditated experiment. I drew my fingers across my trousers and another fact was discovered. Nitric acid acts upon trousers. Taking everything into consideration, that was the most splendid experiment and relatively probably the most costly experiment I have ever performed. . . . It was a revelation to me. It resulted in a desire on my part to learn more about that remarkable kind of action.Plainly, the only way to learn about it was to see its results, to experiment, to work in a laboratory. from F. H. Getman, The lifetime of Ira Remsen Journal of Chemical Education Easton, Pennsylvania, 1940 pp 9-10 quoted in Richard W. Ramette, E xocharmic Reactions in Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, Chemical Demonstrations A Handbook for Teachers of Chemistry, Volume 1. Madison The University of Wisconsin Press, 1983, p. xiv Hazards Nitric acid is extremely corrosive. Handle with care. The nitrogen dioxide produced in this reaction is poisonous. This reaction must be done in a fume hood