Chemistry:Nitrogen oxide

For the air pollutants, see Nitrogen oxides.

Nitrogen oxide may refer to a binary compound of oxygen and nitrogen, or a mixture of such compounds:

Charge-neutral

• Nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen(II) oxide, or nitrogen monoxide
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO
  2), nitrogen(IV) oxide
• Nitrogen trioxide (NO
  3), or nitrate radical
• Nitrous oxide (N
  2O), nitrogen(0,II) oxide
• Dinitrogen dioxide (N
  2O
  2), nitrogen(II) oxide dimer
• Dinitrogen trioxide (N
  2O
  3), nitrogen(II,IV) oxide
• Dinitrogen tetroxide (N
  2O
  4), nitrogen(IV) oxide dimer
• Dinitrogen pentoxide (N
  2O
  5), nitrogen(V) oxide, or nitronium nitrate [NO
  2]+
  [NO
  3]−
  
• Nitrosyl azide (N
  4O), nitrogen(−I,0,I,II) oxide
• Nitryl azide (N
  4O
  2)
• Oxatetrazole (N
  4O)
• Trinitramide (N(NO
  2)
  3 or N
  4O
  6), nitrogen(0,IV) oxide

Anions

Name	Formula
Nitroxide	O=N− or NO−
Nitrite	O=N–O− or NO− 2
Nitrate	O 2N–O− or NO− 3
Peroxynitrite	O=N–O–O− or NO− 3
Peroxynitrate	O 2N–O–O− or NO− 4
Orthonitrate	+ N(–O− ) 4 or NO3− 4
Hyponitrite	− O–N=N–O− or N 2O2− 2
Trioxodinitrate or hyponitrate	O=N–N(–O− ) 2 or N 2O2− 3
Nitroxylate	(− O–) 2N–N(–O− ) 2 or N 2O4− 4
Dinitramide	O 2N–N− –NO 2 or N 3O− 4

Cations

• Nitrosonium (N≡O+
  or [NO]+
  )
• Nitronium (O=N+
  =O or [NO
  2]+
  )

Atmospheric sciences

In atmospheric chemistry:

• NO
  x (or NOx) refers to the sum of NO and NO
  2.
• NO
  y (or NOy) refers to the sum of NO
  x and all oxidized atmospheric odd-nitrogen species (e.g. the sum of NO
  x, HNO
  3, HNO
  2, etc.)
• NO
  z (or NOz) = NO
  y − NO
  x

• Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen ("MON"): solutions of nitric oxide in dinitrogen tetroxide/nitrogen dioxide.

• 
  Nitric oxide, NO
• 
  Nitrogen dioxide, NO
  2
• 
  Nitrous oxide, N
  2O
• 
  Dinitrogen trioxide, N
  2O
  3
• 
  Dinitrogen tetroxide, N
  2O
  4
• 
  Dinitrogen pentoxide, N
  2O
  5
• 
  Trinitramide, N
  4O
  6

Stability

Due to relatively weak N–O bonding, all nitrogen oxides are unstable with respect to N
2 and O
2, which is the principle behind the catalytic converter, and prevents the oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere from combusting.

See also

• Nitrate
• Nitrogen oxide sensor
• Sulfur nitrides, which are valence isoelectronic with nitrogen oxides