Nitric acid facts for kids
Nitric acid (chemical formula: HNO3) is a very strong and dangerous chemical. It's known for being super corrosive, meaning it can eat away at many materials, and it's also toxic, so it's important to handle it with extreme care. You might hear it called aqua fortis, which means "strong water" in Latin. This powerful acid has many uses, from helping to make wood look old to being used in some rocket fuels and even in making explosives.
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What is Nitric Acid?
Nitric acid is a type of acid that is very powerful. It can cause severe burns if it touches your skin, so scientists always wear special safety gear when working with it. Its chemical formula, HNO3, tells us it's made of hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O) atoms.
How is Nitric Acid Made?
In factories, nitric acid is usually made by mixing nitrogen dioxide gas with water. This reaction creates the acid, which is then carefully stored and used for different purposes.
Amazing Reactions of Nitric Acid
Nitric acid is famous for how it reacts with other substances.
Reacting with Metals
When nitric acid touches certain metals, like copper, it can cause a fascinating reaction. It produces a brown, toxic gas called nitrogen dioxide. This gas is harmful to breathe, which is another reason why nitric acid must be handled carefully in a lab.
The "Acid Test" for Gold
Long ago, people called nitric acid aqua fortis because it was so strong. They discovered something amazing: it could dissolve silver but would leave gold completely unharmed! This made it a perfect way to check if something was real gold. If the metal dissolved, it wasn't gold. This is where the saying "acid test" comes from, meaning a tough test for something.
Uses of Nitric Acid
Nitric acid is a versatile chemical used in many different ways:
- Making Things Look Old: It can be used to treat wood, making it look much older than it actually is.
- Rocket Fuel: Believe it or not, nitric acid is a component in some types of rocket fuels, helping rockets blast off into space.
- Explosives: Because of its powerful chemical properties, it's also used in the production of certain explosives.
- Fertilizers: A lot of nitric acid is used to make fertilizers that help plants grow bigger and stronger.
Images for kids
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Fuming nitric acid contaminated with yellow nitrogen dioxide
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Two major resonance representations of HNO
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Nitric acid in a laboratory
See also
In Spanish: Ácido nítrico para niños
