nitrák

Nitrák is a Czech term used to refer to nitrate compounds, salts containing the nitrate ion NO3−. In formal Czech, the corresponding word is dusičnan, with dusičnany meaning nitrates or nitrate salts.

Nitrates occur widely in nature and industry. They appear in minerals such as potassium nitrate (saltpetre) and sodium nitrate, and they are common in soils and plant tissues as part of the nitrogen cycle. They are also produced and used on a large scale in agricultural and chemical industries.

Chemically, nitrates are salts formed by replacing the hydrogen of nitric acid with metal cations or ammonium. Industrially, nitric acid is produced by the Ostwald process; neutralization with bases yields nitrates such as potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, or ammonium nitrate. Many nitrates are highly soluble in water and exist as crystalline solids.

The principal use of nitrates is as fertilizers, supplying nitrogen to crops. They are also used in food preservation and curing, in pyrotechnics and explosives (notably ammonium nitrate), and as reagents in various chemical syntheses. Some nitrates have important roles in metallurgy and industry due to their oxidizing properties.

Health and environmental considerations are important. Excess nitrate in drinking water can pose health risks, especially for infants, via methemoglobinemia. Agricultural runoff can lead to eutrophication and groundwater contamination. Regulatory bodies set maximum nitrate concentrations in water to protect health and ecosystems.

See also: dusičnany, nitrány, methemoglobinemia.