What is the function of nitric acid

Nitric acid is a strong acid with extremely severe corrosiveness. It is precisely because of its corrosiveness and acidity that it has many uses. The most important thing is that it can be used as a fertilizer, and it also plays an important role in the military. Some salts are also made using nitric acid. This is considered a raw material, but people must be particularly careful when using it. After all, if this nitric acid touches people's skin, it will cause certain corrosiveness, which can cause considerable harm to people's bodies. If it touches people's skin, you must go to the hospital immediately for relevant treatment. Otherwise, in severe cases it will burn the skin and cause great damage to the skin. Therefore, you must understand the effects of nitric acid before using it.

Uses and functions:

1. As an essential raw material for nitrates and nitrate esters, nitric acid is used to produce a series of nitrate nitrogen fertilizers, such as ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, etc.; it is also used to produce nitrate esters or nitro-containing explosives.

2. Since nitric acid is both oxidizing and acidic, it is also used to refine metals: that is, the impure metals are first oxidized into nitrates, then reduced after removing impurities. Nitric acid can passivate iron and prevent it from further corroding. It can also be used to make nitrogen fertilizer, aqua regia, nitrate, nitroglycerin, nitrocellulose, nitrobenzene, picric acid, etc.

3. When glycerol is placed in concentrated nitric acid or concentrated sulfuric acid, nitroglycerin will be produced. This is a colorless or yellow transparent oily liquid. It is a very unstable substance. When it is impacted, it will decompose, generate high temperature, and produce a large amount of gas. The volume of the gas suddenly expanded, causing a violent explosion. So nitroglycerin is a high explosive. 4. The most commonly used nitro explosive in the military is 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). It is made by the reaction of toluene with concentrated nitric acid and concentrated sulfuric acid. It is a yellow flake with the advantages of strong explosive power, stable medicinal properties and low hygroscopicity. It is often used as explosives for artillery shells, grenades, mines and torpedoes, and can also be used in blasting operations such as mining.

Raw materials for organic synthesis. Concentrated nitric acid can nitrate benzene, anthracene, naphthalene and other aromatic compounds to produce organic raw materials. For example, a mixed acid of nitric acid and sulfuric acid (commonly used in industry to react 30% with benzene to produce nitrobenzene, which is then hydrogenated to produce aniline, which is an intermediate for synthesizing dyes, medicines, and pesticides. To produce oxalic acid, agricultural waste such as corn cores, bagasse, rice husks, and peanut shells are used as raw materials to react with nitric acid to produce oxalic acid. Nitric acid can also react with propylene or ethylene or ethylene glycol to produce oxalic acid.