Is nitric acid an oxidizing agent or reducing agent?

Nitric acid is a strong acid, completely ionized into hydronium (H3O+) and nitrate (NO3-) ions in an aqueous solution, and a powerful oxidizing agent.

Is nitric acid is a strong reducing agent?

No, nitric acid is a powerful oxidising agent. In nitric acid (HNO3), nitrogen is in its maximum oxidation state of +5, and it cannot be oxidised further to any higher state. So, it cannot act as a reducing agent.

Which acid is a strong oxidising agent?

Nitric acid
Nitric acid is a strong oxidising agent.

Which oxidising agent is strongest?

fluorine
Elemental fluorine, for example, is the strongest common oxidizing agent.

How does nitric acid act as an oxidising agent?

In nitric acid, the oxidation state of nitrogen is +5, that is the maximum oxidation state nitrogen can acquire in a compound. So, it can only get reduced to a number less than +5 till -3. Therefore, nitric acid can only act as an oxidising agent because it itself gets reduced.

Why nitric acid oxidizing agent but nitrous acid is oxidizing and reducing agent?

Here Oxidation number of N in HNO2 = +3 Maximum oxidation number of N = +5; Minimum oxidation number of N = -3 Thus, the oxidation number of N can either increase by losing electrons or can decrease by accepting electrons. Therefore, HNO2 acts both as an oxidizing as well as a reducing agent.

Why does nitric acid always act as oxidizing agent while nitrous acid acts as oxidizing as well as reducing agent?

In nitric acid, the oxidation state of nitrogen is +5, that is the maximum oxidation state nitrogen can acquire in a compound. In case of nitrous acid, the oxidation state of nitrogen is +2. So it can get oxidised to +5 state and also get reduced to -3 state. Thus, it can act as both reducing agent and oxidising agent.

Is nitric acid is strong oxidising agent than Sulphuric acid?

The resulting “bumping” spatters acid widely. These materials have significant ability as oxidizing agents, but that ability varies (for example, nitric acid is a stronger oxidizing agent than sulfuric acid and most sulfonic acids).

Is nitric acid an oxidizer?

Nitric acid is the primary choice here on several grounds. It is an oxidizing acid that can dissolve most metals to form soluble metal nitrates. It has poor oxidizing strength below 2 M but is a powerful oxidizing acid in concentrated form.

How does nitric acid act as an oxidizing agent?

In the case of Nitric acid (HNO3), the nitrogen has a +5 oxidation state, which is its highest oxidation state, so it will get reduced and oxidize other molecules. Hence it acts as an oxidizing agent.

Why is Nitric acid is only a oxidizing agent?

Therefore, nitric acid can only act as an oxidising agent because it itself gets reduced. In case of nitrous acid, the oxidation state of nitrogen is +2. So it can get oxidised to +5 state and also get reduced to -3 state. Thus, it can act as both reducing agent and oxidising agent.

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