Unlocking the Benefits of Nitric Acid
What are some advantages of using nitric acid?
A) During the wash the nitric acid prevents colloidal sized particle formation.
B) Carbonates will not precipitate with silver in acidic conditions.
C) Nitric acid will react with access silver to increase solubility.
D) Silver chloride is more insoluble in dilute nitric acid.
Answer:
Nitric acid prevents the formation of colloidal-sized particles, inhibits silver carbonate precipitation, reacts with excess silver to boost solubility, and makes silver chloride more insoluble.
Nitric acid, being a strong acid, offers multiple advantages. A) During washing, nitric acid helps prevent the formation of colloidal-sized particles. Essentially, it keeps impurity particles small, enhancing their removal.
B) In acidic conditions, nitric acid ensures carbonates do not precipitate with silver. This attribute is highly valuable in preventing unwanted precipitation reactions and promoting desired ones.
C) Nitric acid reacts with excess silver to increase solubility. Instead of allowing the silver to precipitate out, nitric acid reacts with it to form a compound which remains soluble in water.
D) Silver chloride, a relatively insoluble salt, shows more insolubility in dilute nitric acid. This is advantageous as it allows silver chloride to be more easily separated from solutions.