Nitric acid (HNO) greatly enhance the rate of reaction. Although chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), and aluminium (Al) readily dissolve in dilute nitric acid, the concentrated acid forms a metal-oxide layer that protects the bulk of the metal from further oxidation. The formation of this protective layer is called passivation. Typical passivation concentrations range from 20% to 50% by volume (see ASTM A967-05). Metals that are passivated by concentrated nitric acid are iron, cobalt, chromium, nickel, and aluminium. Being a powerful oxidizing acid, nitric acid reacts violently with many organic materials and the reactions may be explosive. The hydroxyl group will typically strip
Acid–base reaction When a weak acid reacts with a weak base an equilibrium mixture is produced. For example, adenine, written as AH can react with a hydrogen phosphate ion, . The equilibrium constant for this reaction can be derived from the acid dissociation constants of adenine and of the dihydrogen phosphate ion. The notation [X] signifies "concentration of X". When these two equations are combined by eliminating the hydrogen ion concentration, an expression for the equilibrium constant, "K" is obtained. An acid–alkali reaction is a special case of an acid–base reaction, where the base used is also an alkali. When an acid