Why is nitric acid a strong acid

Nitric acid is a stronger acid than nitrous acid because its conjugate base is more stable. The NO 3 - ion has excess negative charge spread out over 3 oxygen atoms while the excess negative charge in NO 2 - is spread out over on 2 oxygen atoms. A conjugate base is more stable when the negative charge is on an electronegative element and when the charge is delocalized over multiple atoms.

The more stable the conjugate base, the stronger the acid. A stable conjugate base is not very basic. A very strong acid has a very weak conjugate base and a very weak acid has a very strong conjugate base.

Because the concentration of water is constant, we can define a constant equal to the product of the concentration of water and the equilibrium constant. This constant, the K a is 10 We can use the K a to determine the pH of a solution of nitrous acid. This arrangement is crucial in the reactivity of the compound. When it disintegrates, nitric acid produces water and nitrogen dioxide.

For instance, when nitric acid reacts with copper , the balanced chemical reaction can be written as:. Nitrogen dioxide is liberated as a noxious brown gas while cupric nitrate is formed as a blue precipitate.

During the reaction, the solution will first turn green, then greenish-brown before finally turning blue as it is diluted with water. Just like in other acid-metal reactions, the process is exothermic, releasing excess heat energy. When dissolved in water, strong acids dissociate their ions completely. Nitric acid is a strong acid and it is one of the seven strong acids. All other acids are weak ones. The other strong acids are the following:. Nitric acid is present in small amounts of rain.

It is most effective in this concentration. A concentrated acid is more corrosive compared to diluted acid. But the measure of strength is ionic dissociation in water. Strong acids like nitric acid are more reactive this way. Nitric acid naturally forms in the atmosphere when nitrogen dioxide is dissolved in rain droplets. Lightning facilitates the chemical reaction by splitting the strong molecular bonds of elemental nitrogen gas in the atmosphere, allowing it to combine with oxygen.

The nitric acid in rain forms nitrates in the soil, which are essential for plant growth. The nitrates serve as the basis for amino acids, which in turn become the building blocks of proteins. Nitrogen fixing-bacteria, on the other hand, follow a different pathway in converting the nitrogen in the air into usable forms such as ammonia. Nitric acid is used in many types of industrial applications that require the production of other nitrogen compounds. A dilute acid is an acidic solution that contains a lot of solvent.

If you have 12 M acetic acid, it's concentrated, yet still a weak acid. No matter how much water you remove, that will be true. On the flip side, a 0. You can drink diluted acetic acid the acid found in vinegar , yet drinking the same concentration of sulfuric acid would give you a chemical burn. The reason is that sulfuric acid is highly corrosive, while acetic acid is not as active.

While acids tend to be corrosive, the strongest superacids carboranes are actually not corrosive and could be held in your hand.

Hydrofluoric acid, while a weak acid, would pass through your hand and attack your bones. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads.

Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights.

Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph. Chemistry Expert.