Nitric Acid Uses

Basically, a strong acid an acid which essentially ionizes all its hydrogen ions in water solution. One example of the same is nitric acid - a corrosive and toxic strong acid which is used as an oxidizing agent in various industries. Even though the use of this strong acid can be traced back to the 13th century, not many people out there can boast of knowing what the uses of nitric acid are.

Nitric Acid Facts

Nitric acid is also known as aqua fortis or azotic acid. Its molecular formula is HNO₃. It has a clear colorless appearance when in its pure form, but the accumulation of oxides of nitrogen in it over the period tends to give it a yellow cast. The fumes coming from this hygroscopic liquid give it a choking smell. The molar mass for nitric acid is 63.012 g/mol, while its density is 1.5129 g/cm³. Being a strong acid, it is highly soluble in water. Its melting point is -44°F or 231 K, and boiling point is 181°F or 356 K.

Nitric Acid Uses

Owing to the various properties of nitric acid mentioned above, it has become a vital component of various industries - right from fertilizer production to manufacturing of explosives and rocket propellant. Given below is a list of nitric acid applications in different fields - the length of which will give you a rough idea about its importance for the mankind.

• In aerospace engineering, it is widely used as an oxidizer in liquid-fueled rockets.
• In explosives industry, it is used for manufacturing explosives such as T.N.T., gun cotton, nitro glycerin, etc.
• In fertilizer production, it is used for manufacturing fertilizers such as calcium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, etc.
• It is also used in for making nitrate salts such as ammonium nitrate, silver nitrate, calcium nitrate, etc.
• It is widely used in the field of chemistry as a laboratory reagent.
• It is also used in making dyes and drugs from various coal tar products.
• It is used for purification of various precious metals including gold, silver, platinum, etc.
• In metallurgy, it is used in combination with alcohol for etching designs on metals like brass, copper, bronze, etc.
• This acid is also used in preparation of 'aqua regia' in which the noble elements are dissolved.
• In very low concentration, it is used to artificially age pine and maple wood.
• Its aqueous blend is used for cleaning food and dairy equipment owing to its ability to remove precipitated calcium and magnesium compounds with ease.
• It is also used widely in colorometric test in order to determine the difference between heroin and morphine.

While the uses given above primarily revolve around our uses of nitric acid, the same is also very useful for plants. Plants require nitrogen for growth process, but they can't absorb it directly from the atmosphere. During rains, thunderstorms in particular, copious amount of nitric acid is formed in the atmosphere as a result of chemical reaction which causes acid rain. It gets dissolved in the water and makes its way to the soil from where it is absorbed by the plants, thus fulfilling their nitrogen requirement.

Even though it is very useful, one cannot ignore the fact that there do exist some hazards of nitric acid. The powerful oxidizing agent that nitric acid is, it can easily cause an explosion when it comes in contact with compounds such as cyanides and carbides. With all these hazards in picture, it becomes very important to handle such compounds with utmost care.