Oxyacids nitrous acid

Nitric acid is the only oxyacid of nitrogen which is at all stable in the free condition. The kinetics of its decomposition are discussed below. Nitrous acid exists in the gas phase, although it cannot be isolated. Information on the kinetics of its decomposition is restricted to an estimate103 of the half-life of the forward reaction in the rapid gas-phase equilibrium... 

Let s work two examples illustrating the steps necessary to produce a good Lewis structure. We will take HN02 and XeF4 for these examples. The first molecule is nitrous acid. It is an example of an oxyacid. (Oxyacids are compounds containing hydrogen, oxygen, and one other element.) The other compound is xenon tetrafluoride. 

The Lunge nitrometer provides a simple and very useful means for controlling nitrations carried out in concentrated sulfuric acid solution. Its usefulness for the determination of the oxyacids of nitrogen, especially nitric and nitrous acids, depends on the fact that these acids (and their salts and esters) are quantitatively and rapidly reduced to NO by metallic mercury in the presence of concentrated sulfuric acid, even at ordinary temperatures, according to the reaction ... 

Most acids are oxyacids, in which the acidic proton is attached to an oxygen atom. The strong acids mentioned above, except hydrochloric acid, are typical examples. Many common weak acids, such as phosphoric acid (H3P04), nitrous acid (HN02), and hypochlorous acid (HOC1), are also... 

Because the name of an oxyacid depends on the oxyanion present in the acid, you must first identify the anion present. The name of an oxyacid consists of a form of the root of the anion, a suffix, and the word acid. If the anion suffix is -ate, it is replaced with the suffix -ic. When the anion ends in -ite, the suffix is replaced with -ous. Consider the oxyacid HNO3. Its oxyanion is nitrate (NO3 ). Following this rule, HNO3 is named nitric acid. The anion of HNO2 is the nitrite ion (NO2 ). HNO2 is nitrous acid. Notice that the hydrogen in an oxyacid is not part of the name. 

The two common oxyacids of nitrogen are nitric acid (HNO3) and nitrous acid (HNO2) ( FIGURE 22.26). Nitric acid is a strong acid. It is also a powerful oxidizing agent, as indicated by the standard reduction potential in the reaction... 

Nitrous and nitric acids are produced in the aqueous phase after NO2 and/or N2O3 are absorbed into solution and sulfur oxyacids, such as sulfite/bisulfite or pyrosulfite, are formed if SO2 dissolves in the solution. Interaction among oxides of nitrogen, nitrogen oxyacids, sulfur oxyacids, oxygen, and trace metal ions such as Fe(III) or Mn(II) can take place in a flue gas wet scrubber. Identifying all reactions involved in this complex system is impossible. However, important reactions must be identified and characterized in order to improve the performance of a scrubber. 

---