Talk:Nitrate

Parked for possible re-inclusion... --Ashcraft - (reply) 18:05, 13 April 2017 (EDT)

Nitrates are chemical compounds with the nitrate ion in it. The nitrate ion is a polyatomic ion with the molecular formula NO3− and a molecular mass of 62.0049 g/mol.

Structure
The nitrate ion has a chemical formula of NO3-. It has nitrogen in its +5 oxidation state. Nitrates are oxidizing agents, especially when acidic. Dissolved in water, the NO3- is an oxidizing agent capable of oxidizing metals that the H+ can not. Nitrates are salts of nitric acid. A sample nitrate is potassium nitrate.

It is the conjugate base of nitric acid, consisting of one central nitrogen atom surrounded by three identically-bonded oxygen atoms in a trigonal planar arrangement. The nitrate ion carries a formal charge of -1. This results from a combination formal charge in which each of the three oxygens carries a −2⁄3 charge, whereas the nitrogen carries a +1 charge, all these adding up to formal charge of the polyatomic nitrate ion.

The nitrate ion. The net charge of the whole ion is 1−. This arrangement is commonly used as an example of resonance. Like the isoelectronic carbonate ion, the nitrate ion can be represented by resonance structures:



In food
Nitrates are used primarily to preserve the red color of meat. Nitrates (NO3-) and nitrites (NO2-) are used primarily to cure meats. One function is to retain the red color that most people regard as a sign of meat that is fresh and healthful. Nitrates are used in the production of Gouda cheese to prevent gas formation.

There are high nitrate concentrations in some vegetables like chinese cabbage, endivie, corn salad, lettuce, fennel, kohlrabi, beetroot, radish, rocket and spinach, about (1000–4000 mg/kg fresh weight).

In agriculture
Nitrates are mainly produced for use as fertilizers in agriculture because of their high solubility and biodegradability. The main nitrates are ammonium, sodium, potassium, and calcium salts.

In explosives
Nitrates are also used as an oxidizing agent in explosives, including improvised explosive devices.