Nitric acid is a strong oxidizing agent, and one way it exhibits this property is through the formation of a highly reactive species when heated.
The Role of Nascent Oxygen
According to the provided information, the oxidizing character of nitric acid can be understood by its behavior when subjected to heating. Specifically:
- Heating Nitric Acid: When nitric acid undergoes heating, it decomposes.
- Production of Nascent Oxygen: This decomposition process yields what is known as nascent oxygen.
- High Reactivity: Nascent oxygen is highly reactive.
- Oxidizing Action: This highly reactive nascent oxygen is what helps in describing the oxidizing character of the nitric acid. It acts upon other substances, causing them to lose electrons (oxidation).
Therefore, as described, nitric acid's oxidizing power is attributed, in part, to the formation of reactive nascent oxygen when heated.
