What is the Difference Between Nitric Acid and Nitrous Acid?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The key difference between nitric acid and nitrous acid lies in their molecular structure and acidic strength. Here are the main differences between the two:
- Molecular Structure: Nitric acid (HNO3) has three oxygen atoms bound to a central nitrogen atom, while nitrous acid (HNO2) has only two oxygen atoms bound to a central nitrogen atom.
- Acidic Strength: Nitric acid is a stronger acid than nitrous acid. The strength of an acid is determined by the stability of its conjugate base. In the case of nitric acid, the negative charge is distributed over three oxygen atoms, making it more stable and a stronger acid. In contrast, nitrous acid has an excessive negative charge spread over only two oxygen atoms, making it a weaker acid.
- Resonance Effect: Nitric acid has a more powerful resonance effect due to the distribution of the negative charge over three oxygen atoms compared to nitrous acid, which has a less powerful resonance effect due to the distribution of the negative charge over only two oxygen atoms.
In summary, nitric acid is stronger than nitrous acid due to its molecular structure, which allows for a more stable and powerful resonance effect.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Nitric Acid and Nitrous Acid? Comparative Table: Nitric Acid vs Nitrous Acid
Comparative Table: Nitric Acid vs Nitrous Acid
Here is a table comparing the differences between nitric acid and nitrous acid:
Property | Nitric Acid | Nitrous Acid |
---|---|---|
Chemical Formula | HNO3 | HNO2 |
Color | Red or red fuming | Pale-blue |
Strength | Strong acid | Weaker acid |
Molecular Structure | Contains three oxygen atoms bound to a central nitrogen atom | Contains two oxygen atoms and a nitrogen atom |
Production | Can be produced by dissolving dinitrogen trioxide in water | |
Reactivity with Metals | Reacts with metals to produce nitrate salts | Reacts with metals to form nitrate compounds |
Nitric acid and nitrous acid are both inorganic acids containing nitrogen atoms, but they have different chemical formulas, properties, and reactivities with metals.
Read more:
- Nitric Oxide vs Nitrous Oxide
- Fuming Nitric Acid vs Concentrated Nitric Acid
- Nitrogen vs Nitrate
- Nitrate vs Nitrite
- Sodium Nitrate vs Sodium Nitrite
- Sulfuric Acid vs Sulfurous Acid
- Nitrite vs Nitrogen Dioxide
- Nitrox vs Air
- Acid vs Acidic
- Ammonia vs Ammonium Nitrate
- Ammonia vs Ammoniacal Nitrogen
- Nitromethane vs Methyl Nitrite
- Nitronium Nitrosonium vs Nitrosyl
- Sulphuric Acid vs Hydrochloric Acid
- N2O4 vs NO2
- Lead Nitrate vs Zinc Nitrate
- Hydrofluoric Acid vs Hydrochloric Acid
- Ethyl Nitrite vs Nitroethane
- Sodium Chloride vs Sodium Nitrate