| a colorless or yellowish, fuming, suffocating, caustic, corrosive, water-soluble liquid, HNO3, having powerful oxidizing properties, usually obtained from ammonia or from Chile saltpeter: used chiefly in the manufacture of explosives and fertilizers and in organic synthesis. |
| nitric acid n. A transparent, colorless to yellowish, fuming corrosive liquid, HNO3, a highly reactive oxidizing agent used in the production of fertilizers, explosives, and rocket fuels and in a wide variety of industrial metallurgical processes. Also called aqua fortis. |
nitric acid ni·tric acid (nī'trĭk)
n.
A transparent, colorless to yellowish, fuming corrosive liquid that is a highly reactive oxidizing agent.
