What acid does the combination of HNO_3 + H_2SO_4 create?

1 Answer
Bio
Feb 14, 2016

"HNO"_3 + "H"_2"SO"_4 rightleftharpoons "H"_2"O" + "NO"_2^+ + "HSO"_4^-

Explanation:

This is an acid-base reaction, with sulfuric acid ("H"_2"SO"_4) acting as an acid and nitric acid ("HNO"_3) acting as a base. After the nitric acid gets protonated, it decomposes to form a water molecule ("H"_2"O") and a nitronium ion ("NO"_2^+). The equilibrium lies very much to the left.

This reaction is commonly a precursor to aromatic nitration.

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