Why nitric acid is a strong acid

They do because of differences in:. If we write an equilibrium equation for each of the strong acids, here is how each will appear. From the equilibrium equations, you can see that only a single arrow points to the right. This convey the message that the strong acids fully dissociate in water and that the equilibrium for the dissociation lies largely to the right.

Thus, the more hydronium ions you have in solution, the larger the acid dissociation constant K a and the stronger the acid. The equilibrium constant, K a is derived when we multiply the equilibrium constant, K c by the concentration of water. As you can see, a shorter arrow points to the right, meaning only few HF molecules dissociate to produce hydronium and fluoride ions. HNO3 or nitric acid is one of the most useful chemicals among all the others. However, in most cases, it is not accessible to you in ordinary shops due to its toxicity.

Nevertheless, you can perform experiments in your school lab to check the acidic nature of nitric acid in the presence of your lab instructor.

You can easily check its dissociation property in water to understand its acidic nature. Through this process, you can learn the other properties of nitric acid much thoroughly. November 9, November 9, November 8, November 7, Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content If we as students understood that everything we are, do, and see around us is a part of chemistry, we would probably pay more attention instead of simply enduring the classes. Ever wondered what makes an acid an acid? Since this compound is a strong acid, it is highly corrosive and toxic.

These factors vary in different acids, and thus, their dissociation level differs. The polarity of the H-X bond Acids are stronger when the polarity between their ions increases. The following equation shows how dissociation happens in HNO3. Since NO3 is larger than other anions, it is easy to break the bond.

What is HNO3? Then, it decomposes while leaving behind nitrogen dioxide, water, and oxygen molecules. The oxidizing nature of nitric acid resists it from donating protons when reacted with metals. Nitrating Properties Nitric acid is an excellent nitrating agent.

Therefore, it is widely used in various industries to nitrate hydrocarbons for various purposes. Oxidizing Properties Nitric acid being a potent oxidizing agent, can react violently with metals, and these reactions can be highly explosive. This is the reason why it is widely used in acid tests. HNO3 oxides the non-metals to the highest oxidation state as acids. Usage of Nitric Acid Nitric acid is a beneficial compound with many industrial uses. It is used for the production of ammonium nitrate, which is a common fertilizer.

It is also used in making plastics and dyes. Aqua regia, which is a reagent to dissolve gold and silver, is made from nitric acid and hydrochloric acid.

Colorimetric test to differentiate heroin and morphine also requires nitric acid. Nitric acid has a few medical usages as well. Nitric acid is widely used in woodworks to artificially age trees like pine and maple.

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. Helmenstine holds a Ph. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.

Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter. Key Takeaways Strong acids completely dissociate into their ions in water, while weak acids only partially dissociate. There are only a few 7 strong acids, so many people choose to memorize them. All the other acids are weak. The strong acids are hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, perchloric acid, and chloric acid.