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In inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry

Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the properties and behavior of inorganic compounds. This field covers all chemical compounds except the myriad organic compounds , which are the subjects of organic chemistry....
, a nitrate is a salt of nitric acid
Nitric acid

Nitric acid , also known as aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosion and toxic strong acid that can cause severe burns....
 with an ion
Ion

An ion is an atom or molecule which has lost or gained one or more electrons, giving it a positive or negative electrical charge. According to the Bohr_model this will be from or in the outer shield 'n'....
 composed of one nitrogen
Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N and atomic number 7 and atomic mass 14.00674?. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78% by volume of Earth's atmosphere....
 and three oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
 atoms (NO3-). In organic chemistry
Organic chemistry

Organic chemistry is a discipline within chemistry which involves the science study of the structure, properties, composition, chemical reaction, and preparation of chemical compounds that contain carbon....
 the esters of nitric acid and various alcohols are called nitrates.

nitrate ion is a polyatomic
Polyatomic ion

A polyatomic ion, also known as a molecular ion, is a charged species composed of two or more atoms Covalent bond or of a complex that can be considered as acting as a single unit in the context of acid and Base chemistry or in the formation of salt ....
 ion
Ion

An ion is an atom or molecule which has lost or gained one or more electrons, giving it a positive or negative electrical charge. According to the Bohr_model this will be from or in the outer shield 'n'....
 with the empirical formula
Empirical formula

In chemistry, the empirical formula of a chemical compound is a complex expression of the relative numbers of each type of atom in it. An empirical formula makes references to isomerism, structure, or absolute number of atoms....
 N
Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N and atomic number 7 and atomic mass 14.00674?. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78% by volume of Earth's atmosphere....
O
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
3- and a molecular mass
Molecular mass

The molecular mass of a chemical compound, frequently referred by the older term molecular weight and abbreviated as MW, is the mass of one molecule of that substance, relative to the unified atomic mass unit u ....
 of 62.0049. It is the conjugate base
Conjugate acid

Within the Johannes Nicolaus Br?nsted-Martin Lowry theory of acid-base reaction theories, a conjugate acid is the acid member, HX, of a pair of two compounds that transform into each other by gain or loss of a proton....
 of nitric acid, consisting of one central nitrogen atom
Atom

|-! bgcolor=gray | Properties|-||}The atom is a basic unit of matter consisting of a dense, central atomic nucleus surrounded by a electron cloud of electric charge electrons....
 surrounded by three identical oxygen atoms in a trigonal planar
Trigonal planar

In chemistry, trigonal planar is a molecular geometry with one atom at the center and three atoms at the corners of a triangle all in one plane ....
 arrangement.






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In inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry

Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the properties and behavior of inorganic compounds. This field covers all chemical compounds except the myriad organic compounds , which are the subjects of organic chemistry....
, a nitrate is a salt of nitric acid
Nitric acid

Nitric acid , also known as aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosion and toxic strong acid that can cause severe burns....
 with an ion
Ion

An ion is an atom or molecule which has lost or gained one or more electrons, giving it a positive or negative electrical charge. According to the Bohr_model this will be from or in the outer shield 'n'....
 composed of one nitrogen
Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N and atomic number 7 and atomic mass 14.00674?. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78% by volume of Earth's atmosphere....
 and three oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
 atoms (NO3-). In organic chemistry
Organic chemistry

Organic chemistry is a discipline within chemistry which involves the science study of the structure, properties, composition, chemical reaction, and preparation of chemical compounds that contain carbon....
 the esters of nitric acid and various alcohols are called nitrates.

Chemical properties

The nitrate ion is a polyatomic
Polyatomic ion

A polyatomic ion, also known as a molecular ion, is a charged species composed of two or more atoms Covalent bond or of a complex that can be considered as acting as a single unit in the context of acid and Base chemistry or in the formation of salt ....
 ion
Ion

An ion is an atom or molecule which has lost or gained one or more electrons, giving it a positive or negative electrical charge. According to the Bohr_model this will be from or in the outer shield 'n'....
 with the empirical formula
Empirical formula

In chemistry, the empirical formula of a chemical compound is a complex expression of the relative numbers of each type of atom in it. An empirical formula makes references to isomerism, structure, or absolute number of atoms....
 N
Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N and atomic number 7 and atomic mass 14.00674?. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78% by volume of Earth's atmosphere....
O
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
3- and a molecular mass
Molecular mass

The molecular mass of a chemical compound, frequently referred by the older term molecular weight and abbreviated as MW, is the mass of one molecule of that substance, relative to the unified atomic mass unit u ....
 of 62.0049. It is the conjugate base
Conjugate acid

Within the Johannes Nicolaus Br?nsted-Martin Lowry theory of acid-base reaction theories, a conjugate acid is the acid member, HX, of a pair of two compounds that transform into each other by gain or loss of a proton....
 of nitric acid, consisting of one central nitrogen atom
Atom

|-! bgcolor=gray | Properties|-||}The atom is a basic unit of matter consisting of a dense, central atomic nucleus surrounded by a electron cloud of electric charge electrons....
 surrounded by three identical oxygen atoms in a trigonal planar
Trigonal planar

In chemistry, trigonal planar is a molecular geometry with one atom at the center and three atoms at the corners of a triangle all in one plane ....
 arrangement. The nitrate ion carries a formal charge
Formal charge

In chemistry, a formal charge is a partial charge on an atom in a molecule assigned by assuming that electrons in a chemical bond are shared equally between atoms, regardless of relative electronegativity or in another definition the charge remaining on an atom when all ligands are removed homolysis ....
 of negative one, where each oxygen carries a -2/3 charge while the nitrogen carries a +1 charge, and is commonly used as an example of resonance
Resonance (chemistry)

Resonance in chemistry is a key component of valence bond theory used to graphically represent and mathematically model certain types of molecular structures when no single, conventional Lewis structure can satisfactorily represent the observed structure or explain its properties....
. The three canonical structures of the nitrate ion are shown resonating below:

Almost all inorganic nitrate salts are soluble
Solubility

Solubility is often seen as a property of a substance; for instance the solubility of a solid substance usually refers to the concentration of the substance in a liquid that has reached equilibrium with the substance in solid phase ....
 in water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
 at standard temperature and pressure.

In organic chemistry
Organic chemistry

Organic chemistry is a discipline within chemistry which involves the science study of the structure, properties, composition, chemical reaction, and preparation of chemical compounds that contain carbon....
 a nitrate (not to be confused with nitro) is a functional group
Functional group

In organic chemistry, functional groups are specific groups of atoms within molecules that are responsible for the characteristic chemical reactions of those molecules....
 with general chemical formula RONO2 where R stands for any organic residue. They are the esters of nitric acid and alcohols formed by nitroxylation. Examples are methyl nitrate formed by reaction of methanol
Methanol

Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical compound with chemical formula carbonhydrogen3oxygenhydrogen ....
 and nitric acid, the nitrate of tartaric acid
Tartaric acid

Tartaric acid is a white crystalline organic acid. It occurs naturally in many plants, particularly grapes, bananas, and tamarinds, and is one of the main acids found in wine....
, and the inappropriately named nitroglycerin
Nitroglycerin

Nitroglycerin , also known as nitroglycerine, , trinitroglycerin, trinitroglycerine, 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane and glyceryl trinitrate, is a heavy, colorless, oily, explosive liquid obtained by nitration glycerol....
.

Related materials

Nitrates should not be confused with nitrite
Nitrite

The nitrite ion is NO2-. The anion is bent, being isoelectronic with ozone. More generally, a nitrite compound is either a Salt or an ester of nitrous acid....
s, (NO2-) the salts of nitrous acid
Nitrous acid

Nitrous acid is a weak and monobasic acid known only in solution and in the form of nitrite salts.Nitrous acid is used to make diazo from amines; this occurs by nucleophilic attack of the amine onto the nitrite, reprotonation by the surrounding solvent, and double-elimination of water....
. Organic compound
Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of compounds such as carbonates, simple oxides of carbon and cyanides, as well as the allotropes of carbon, are considered Inorganic compound....
s containing the nitro functional group
Functional group

In organic chemistry, functional groups are specific groups of atoms within molecules that are responsible for the characteristic chemical reactions of those molecules....
 (which has the same formula and structure as the nitrate ion save that one of the O- atoms is replaced by the R group) are known as nitro compound
Nitro compound

Nitro compounds are organic compounds that contain one or more nitro functional groups . They are often highly explosive, especially when the compound contains more than one nitro group....
s.

]] Iron
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
 (2+) to Ferric
Ferric

Ferric is a term that means containing or having to do with iron, derived from the Latin word ferrum, meaning "iron". In chemistry the term is reserved for iron with an oxidation number of +3, denoted iron or Fe3+, whereas ferrous indicates that it has oxidation number of +2 and is denoted iron or Fe2+....
 Iron (3+), rendering it unable to carry oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
. This condition is called methemoglobinemia
Methemoglobinemia

Methemoglobinemia is a disorder characterized by the presence of a higher than normal level of methemoglobin in the blood. Methemoglobin is a form of hemoglobin that does not bind oxygen....
 and can lead to a lack of oxygen
Hypoxia

Hypoxia may refer to:* Hypoxia , a phenomenon that occurs in aquatic environments* Hypoxia , a pathological condition in which the body as a whole or region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply...
 in organ tissue. Methemoglobinemia
Methemoglobinemia

Methemoglobinemia is a disorder characterized by the presence of a higher than normal level of methemoglobin in the blood. Methemoglobin is a form of hemoglobin that does not bind oxygen....
 can be treated with methylene blue
Methylene blue

Methylene blue is a Heterocyclic ring aromaticity chemical compound with molecular formula: carbon16hydrogen18chlorinenitrogen3sulfur....
, which reduces ferric
Ferric

Ferric is a term that means containing or having to do with iron, derived from the Latin word ferrum, meaning "iron". In chemistry the term is reserved for iron with an oxidation number of +3, denoted iron or Fe3+, whereas ferrous indicates that it has oxidation number of +2 and is denoted iron or Fe2+....
 iron (3+) in effected blood cells back to Ferrous
Ferrous

Ferrous, in chemical science, indicates a bivalent iron compound , as opposed to ferric, which indicates a trivalent iron compound .Outside of chemical science, ferrous is an adjective used to indicate the presence of iron....
 Iron
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
 (2+).

Infants in particular are especially vulnerable to methemoglobinemia due to nitrate metabolizing triglyceride
Triglyceride

is a glyceride in which the glycerol is esterified with three fatty acids. It is the main constituent of vegetable oil and animal fats....
s present at higher concentrations than at other stages of development. Initial exposure is most often caused by high levels of nitrates in drinking water. However nitrate exposure may also occur if eating for instance vegetables containing high levels of nitrate. Lettuce may contain under growth conditions such as little sunlight, undersupply of the essential micronutrients Molybdenum (Mo) and Iron (Fe) high concentrations of nitrate due to reduced assimilation of nitrate in the plant. High nitrate fertilization also contributes to elevated levels of nitrate in the plant .

Marine toxicity

In freshwater
Freshwater

Freshwater is a word that refers to bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, rivers and streams containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids....
 or estuarine
Estuary

An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
 systems close to land, nitrate can reach high levels that can potentially cause the death of fish. While nitrate is much less toxic than ammonia or nitrite, levels over 30 ppm of nitrate can inhibit growth, impair the immune system and cause stress in some aquatic species. However, in light of inherent problems with past protocols on acute nitrate toxicity experiments, the extent of nitrate toxicity has been the subject of recent debate.

In most cases of excess nitrate concentrations in aquatic systems, the primary source is surface runoff
Surface runoff

Surface runoff is the water flow which occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water, from rain, snowmelt, or other sources flows over the land....
 from agricultural or landscape
Landscape

Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including physical elements such as landforms, living elements of flora and fauna, abstract elements such as lighting and weather conditions, and human elements, for instance human activity or the built environment....
d areas which have received excess nitrate fertilizer. These levels of nitrate can also lead to algae blooms, and when nutrients become limiting (such as potassium, phosphate or nitrate) then eutrophication
Eutrophication

Eutrophication is an increase in chemical nutrients — compounds containing nitrogen or phosphorus — in an ecosystem, and may occur on land or in water....
 can occur. As well as leading to water anoxia
Hypoxia (environmental)

Hypoxia or oxygen depletion is a phenomenon that occurs in aquatic environments as oxygen becomes reduced in concentration to a point detrimental to aquatic organisms living in the system....
, these blooms may cause other changes to ecosystem
Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals and micro-organisms in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical factors of the environment....
 function, favouring some groups of organisms over others. Consequently, as nitrates form a component of total dissolved solids
Total dissolved solids

Total Dissolved Solids is an expression for the combined content of all inorganic and organic compound substances contained in a liquid which are present in a molecular, ionized or micro-granular suspended form....
, they are widely used as an indicator of water quality
Water quality

Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance can be assessed....
.

Nitrates are also a by-product of septic systems
Septic tank

A septic tank, the key component of a septic system, is a small scale sewage treatment system common in areas with no connection to main sewage pipes provided by private corporations or local governments....
. Specifically, they are a naturally occurring chemical that is left after the break down or decomposition of animal or human waste. Water quality may also be affected through ground water resources that have a high number of septic systems in a watershed. Septics leach down into ground water resources or aquifers and supply near by bodies of water. Lakes that rely on ground water are often affected by nitrification through this process.

See also

  • Ammonium
    Ammonium

    The ammonium cation is a positively electric charge polyatomic ion of the chemical formula NH4+. It has a formula weight of 18.05 and is formed by protonation of ammonia ....
  • f-ratio
    F-ratio

    In oceanic biogeochemistry, the f-ratio is the fraction of total primary production fuelled by nitrate . This fraction is significant because it is assumed to be directly related to the export production of organic compound marine snow from the photic zone by the biological pump....
  • Nitrification
    Nitrification

    Nitrification is the biological redox of ammonia with oxygen into nitrite followed by the oxidation of these nitrites into nitrates. Degradation of ammonia to nitrite is usually the rate limiting step of nitrification....
  • Nitrate overview:


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