Nitric Acid
the most important of with nitrogen; symbol HNO3. When pure it is a colorless liquid, very strong and disagreeable to the smell, and so acrid that it cannot be safely tasted without being much diluted. It is known in the arts as "aqua fortis," and is commonly obtained by distilling niter (potassium arts as "aqua fortis," and is commonly nitrate) or Chile saltpeter (sodium ni trate) with strong sulphuric Nioxygen, a great part of which it readily tric acid contains about 76 per cent. of gives up to other substances, acting thus as a powerful oxidizer. Thus many metals-such as copper, tin, silver, etc.when brought into contact with this acid are oxidized at the expense of the acid with the production of lower oxides of nitrogen and an oxygenated metallic salt.
Nitric acid, when moderately dilute, acts on organic bodies so as to produce a series of most useful substances, notably acetic, oxalic, and picrid acids, isatin or etching on steel or copper; as a solvent the Turkish wars from 1375 to 1878, white indigo. Nitric acid is employed in when it was occupied by Serbia. Here, on Sept. 23, 1689, the Austrians defeated of tin to form with that metal a mordant the Turks. At the outbreak of the World for some of the finest dyes; in metal- War the Serbian Government was tem- lurgy and assaying; also in medicine, in porarily transferred to Nish. It was captured by the forces of the Central stitute for mercurial preparations in a diluted state, as a tonic and as a sub- Powers when they overran Serbia in the syphilis and affections of the liver; and winter of 1915. See WORLD WAR. Pop. also in form about 25,000. winter of 1915. See WORLD WAR. Pop. also in form of vapor to destroy contagion.