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
Peroxymonosulfuric acid Peroxymonosulfuric acid Peroxymonosulfuric acid, (HSO), also known as persulfuric acid, peroxysulfuric acid, or Caro's acid, is a liquid at room temperature. In this acid, the S(VI) center adopts its characteristic tetrahedral geometry; the connectivity is indicated by the formula HO–O–S(O)–OH. It is one of the strongest oxidants known ("E" = +2.51 V) and is highly explosive. HSO is sometimes confused with HSO, known as peroxydisulfuric acid. The disulfuric acid, which appears to be more widely used as its alkali metal salts, has the structure HO–S(O)–O–O–S(O)–OH. HSO was first described in 1898 by Heinrich Caro, after whom it is named. The