DINITROGEN TRIOXIDE

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| Density and phase
| 1.4 × 10³ kg m⁻³, liquid
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| NFPA 704
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The chemical compound 'dinitrogen trioxide' (N₂O₃) is a pale blue liquid from the group of nitrogen oxides.

Contents

Production

Structure and bonding

Applications

External links

Production

Dinitrogen trioxide is produced by mixing equal parts of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and cooling the mixture below −21°C (−6°F). The gases react, forming the blue liquid N₂O₃. Dinitrogen trioxide is only stable in the liquid and solid phases, and decomposes back to NO and NO₂ when heated above 3°C.

Structure and bonding

Dinitrogen trioxide has an unusually long N−N bond at 186 pm. While N−N bonds are more often similar to that in hydrazine (145 pm), some other oxides of nitrogen do possess long N−N bonds, including dinitrogen tetroxide (175 pm). The N₂O₃ molecule is planar and exhibits ''C_s'' symmetry. The dimensions displayed below come from microwave spectroscopy of low-temperature, gaseous N₂O₃:

Applications

It is the anhydride of the unstable nitrous acid (HNO₂), and produces it when mixed into water. If the nitrous acid is not then used up quickly, it decomposes into nitric oxide and nitric acid. Nitrite salts are sometimes produced by adding N₂O₃ to solutions of bases.

External links

★ National Pollutant Inventory - Oxides of nitrogen fact sheet

★ Webelements: Compound data - dinitrogen trioxide

★ Oxides of nitrogen - synthesis and uses

★ Ivtantermo - dinitrogen trioxide table of values