Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the molecular formula NO

and a molecular mass of 62.0049 g/mol. Nitrates also describe the organic functional
group RONO
2
. These nitrate estersare a specialized class of explosives.
Nitrate



Systematic name[hide]
Nitrate
Properties
Molecular formula NO
3
Molar mass 62.0049 g mol
-1

Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references
Nitrate salts are found naturally on earth as large deposits, particularly of Chile saltpeter a major source of sodium nitrate.
Nitrites are produced by a number of species of nitrifying bacteria, and the nitrate compounds for gunpowder (see this topic for more) were historically
produced, in the absence of mineral nitrate sources, by means of various fermentation processes using urine and dung.





Nitrate formation with elements of the periodic table.
HNO3

He
LiNO3 Be(NO3)2

B(NO3)3 C N O F Ne
NaNO3 Mg(NO3)2

Al(NO3)3 Si P S ClONO2 Ar
KNO3 Ca(NO3)2 Sc(NO3)3 Ti V Cr(NO3)3 Mn(NO3)2 Fe(NO3)3 Co(NO3)2 Ni(NO3)2 Cu(NO3)2 Zn(NO3)2 Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
RbNO3 Sr(NO3)2 Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd(NO3)2 AgNO3 Cd(NO3)2 In Sn Sb Te CI Xe
CsNO3 Ba(NO3)2

Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg(NO3)2 Tl Pb(NO3)2 Bi Po At Rn
Fr Ra

Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Uub Uut Uuq Uup Uuh Uus Uuo




La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd(NO3)3 Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu


Ac Th Pa UO2(NO3)2 Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr

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. Several million kilograms are produced annually for this purpose.
The second major application of nitrates as oxidizing agents, most notably in explosives where the rapid oxidation of carbon compounds liberates
large volumes of gases (see Gunpowder for an example). Sodium nitrate is used to remove air bubbles from molten glass and some ceramics.
Mixtures of the molten salt are used to harden some metals
Almost all inorganic nitrate salts are soluble in water at standard temperature and pressure. A common example of an inorganic nitrate salt
is potassium nitrate (saltpeter).

The anion 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 aformal 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. This
arrangement is commonly used as an example of resonance. Like the isoelectronic carbonate ion, the nitrate ion can be represented by resonance
structures: