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What is the formal charge of N in #HNO_3#?

Answer 1

#"Nitrogen has a formal +1 charge."#

A reasonable Lewis structure is #H-O-stackrel(+)N(=O)O^-#. One of the oxygen atoms has a formal negative charge, and the nitrogen atom is quaternized and bears a formal positive charge. Of course, the molecule is neutral, and the Lewis structure reflects this.

Keep in mind that when nitric acid separates:

#HNO_3(aq) + H_2O(l) rarr H_3O^+ + NO_3^-#

There are 3 formal charges on the nitrate ion: #""^(-)O-stackrel(+)N(=O)-O^-#. The overall charge on the ion is still #-1#, but there is again formal charge separation in our representation of the anion.

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Answer 2

Christian Anderson

The formal charge of N in HNO₃ is +1.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.