Nitric acid rises to 1 at a temperature of 250 °C. Nitric acid can act as a base with respect to an acid such as sulfuric acid: The nitronium ion, , is the active reagent in aromatic nitration reactions. Since nitric acid has both acidic and basic properties, it can undergo an autoprotolysis reaction, similar to the self-ionization of water: Nitric acid reacts with most metals, but the details depend on the concentration of the acid and the nature of the metal. Dilute nitric acid behaves as a typical acid in its reaction with most metals. Magnesium, manganese, and zinc liberate H:
Phosphorous acid are acidic under aqueous conditions, in contrast with HPO. On heating at 200 °C, phosphorous acid disproportionates to phosphoric acid and phosphine: This reaction is used for laboratory-scale preparations of PH. Both phosphorous acid and its deprotonated forms are good reducing agents, although not necessarily quick to react. They are oxidized to phosphoric acid or its salts. It reduces solutions of noble metal cations to the metals. When phosphorous acid is treated with a cold solution of mercuric chloride, a white precipitate of mercurous chloride forms: Mercurous chloride is reduced further by phosphorous acid to mercury on heating or on