nitric acid /ni·tric ac·id/ (ni´trik) a colorless liquid, HNO3, which fumes in moist air and has a characteristic choking odor; used as a cauterizing agent. Its potassium salt (potassium nitrate) is used in potassium deficiencies and as a diuretic; its sodium salt (sodium nitrate) as a reagent.
nitric acid (HNO3)
nitric acid,
ni·tric acid (n  tr k)n. A transparent, colorless to yellowish, fuming corrosive liquid that is a highly reactive oxidizing agent. |
nitric acid (HNO3)
[nī′trik]
Etymology: Gk, nitron, soda; L, acidus, sour
a colorless, highly corrosive liquid that may give off suffocating brown fumes of nitrogen dioxide on exposure to air. Traces of nitric acid may be found in rainwater during a thunderstorm. Commercially prepared nitric acid is a powerful oxidizing agent used in photoengraving and metallurgy; in the manufacture of explosives, fertilizers, dyes, and drugs; and occasionally as a cauterizing agent for the removal of warts. Organic nitrates or polyol esters of nitric acid such as nitroglycerin and amyl nitrite are effective vasodilators often used in relieving angina, but exactly how they function in dilating arterial and venous smooth muscle is not yet understood. Historically known as aqua fortis.
nitric acid,
n a colorless, highly corrosive liquid that may give off suffocating brown fumes of nitrogen dioxide on exposure to air. Commercially prepared nitric acid is a powerful oxidizing agent used in photoengraving and metallurgy.
nitric
pertaining to or containing nitrogen in one of its higher valences.
nitric acid
a highly caustic, fuming acid that has a characteristic choking odor. It was used at one time in the immediate treatment of rabid animal bites to prevent rabies becoming established, and as a cauterizing agent in the eradication of various kinds of warts. It is also used in the form of its potassium and sodium salts. It can be fatal if swallowed, and large amounts of nitric acid applied to the skin can cause necrosis. The antidote for nitric acid poisoning is an alkali or sodium bicarbonate applied liberally.
nitric oxide
is produced during the ensiling process and animals in confined spaces and exposed to silo gas may develop severe respiratory disease due to irritation of the alveolar epithelium. Called also silo-filler's disease. See also atypical interstitial pneumonia.
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