nitric acid
Meaning of nitric acid: Nitric acid is a strong, corrosive industrial chemical, distinct from nitric oxide, the body's own blood vessel signaling molecule.
Definition of nitric acid
Nitric acid is a highly corrosive, strong acid, typically encountered as a colorless to yellowish liquid, that reacts readily with metals and other substances. Industrially, it is used to manufacture fertilizers, dyes, explosives, and various other chemical products, and because it is corrosive, direct contact with skin, eyes, or the respiratory tract can cause significant tissue damage.
Nitric acid is a distinct substance from nitric oxide, a molecule the body produces naturally that acts as a chemical signal within blood vessels and other tissues, despite the similarity of their names.
Exposure to nitric acid, whether through direct contact or inhalation of its fumes, is treated as a chemical hazard, and safety measures in industrial and laboratory settings are designed specifically around limiting this kind of exposure.
Used in a sentence
Safety precautions were reviewed after a laboratory spill involving nitric acid.
Good to know
Nitric acid is frequently confused with nitric oxide by name alone, though the two are entirely different substances, one a corrosive industrial chemical and the other a naturally occurring signaling molecule in the body.