nitrous acid

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. an acid, HNO 2 , known only in solution.

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nitrous acid British  

noun

1. Systematic name: dioxonitric(III) acid.  a weak monobasic acid known only in solution and in the form of nitrite salts. Formula: HNO 2

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nitrous acid Scientific  

1. A weak inorganic acid existing only in solution or in the form of its salts. It can act either as an oxidizing agent or as a reducing agent. Chemical formula: HNO ₂ .

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Etymology

Origin of nitrous acid

First recorded in 1670–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nitrous acid

The pH provided is a logarithmic measure of the hydronium ion concentration resulting from the acid ionization of the nitrous acid, and so it represents an “equilibrium” value for the ICE table:

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

The reaction of N2O3 with water gives a pale blue solution of nitrous acid, HNO2.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

Other nitrogen oxides include nitrous acid and nitric acid.

From Textbooks ● Sep. 6, 2018

But Nobel Prizewinning Wendell M. Stanley, head of Berkeley's Virus Laboratory, believes that the original action of the nitrous acid was to change one kind of RNA base into another.

From Time Magazine Archive

When intense, as they are at present, they produce ozone in great quantity, and also, as Professor Crookes has pointed out, nitrous acid.

From The inventions, researches and writings of Nikola Tesla With special reference to his work in polyphase currents and high potential lighting by Martin, Thomas Commerford