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Chemistry Forums for Students => Inorganic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: Dungsbars on December 28, 2008, 03:00:04 PM

Title: Free radicals and nitrogen oxides
Post by: Dungsbars on December 28, 2008, 03:00:04 PM

Nitrogen Dioxide comes with an unpaired electron on the nitrogen, hence it is in fact a radical. This should normally make it a very reactive compound, but it can dimerize to dinitrogen tetroxide. The downside then is that the bonded nitrogens are both positively charged, rendering it quite unstable again. Somehow, despite all this, the combination makes it a relatively(?) stable compound.

But what if H₂O attacks this gas (nucleophilic attack)? Shouldn't we get H₂NO₃ as a result? And would this radical anion not be stabilized again by dimerization to N₂O₆^4-?


Also, NO has an unpaired electron as well. Can't it dimerize to N₂O₂, just like NO₂ does? The Lewis structure looks more stable to me than the structure of N₂O₄.