Nitric acid fuming nitric acid at concentrations above 86%. Nitric acid is the primary reagent used for nitration – the addition of a nitro group, typically to an organic molecule. While some resulting nitro compounds are shock- and thermally-sensitive explosives, a few are stable enough to be used in munitions and demolition, while others are still more stable and used as pigments in inks and dyes. Nitric acid is also commonly used as a strong oxidizing agent. Commercially available nitric acid is an azeotrope with water at a concentration of 68% HNO, which is the ordinary concentrated nitric acid of commerce. This
Hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid Hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid Hydroxylamine-"O"-sulfonic acid ("HOSA") is the inorganic compound with molecular formula HNOS that is formed by the sulfonation of hydroxylamine with oleum. It is a white, water-soluble and hygroscopic, solid, commonly represented by the condensed structural formula HNOSOH, though it actually exists as a zwitterion and thus is more accurately represented as HNOSO. It is used as a reagent for the introduction of amine groups (–NH), for the conversion of aldehydes into nitriles and alicyclic ketones into lactams (cyclic amides), and for the synthesis of variety of nitrogen-containing heterocycles. According to a laboratory procedure hydroxylamine-"O"-sulfonic acid can be prepared