2 Cu + 2 HNO3 → H2 + 2 CuNO3

This is an oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction:

2 Cu0 - 2 e- → 2 CuI (oxidation)

2 HI + 2 e- → 2 H0 (reduction)

Cu is a reducing agent, HNO3 is an oxidizing agent.

Reactants:

  • Cu
    • Names: Copper source: wikidata, accessed: 2019-09-07source: ICSC, accessed: 2019-09-04, Copper (dusts and mists, as Cu) source: NIOSH NPG, accessed: 2019-09-02, Cu source: wikidata, accessed: 2019-09-07
    • Appearance: Solid in various forms. turns green on exposure to moist air source: ICSC, accessed: 2019-09-04; Reddish, lustrous, malleable, odorless solid. source: NIOSH NPG, accessed: 2019-09-02
  • HNO3 – Nitric acid source: wikipedia, accessed: 2019-09-27source: wikidata, accessed: 2019-09-02source: NIOSH NPG, accessed: 2019-09-02
    • Other names: Aqua fortis source: wikipedia, accessed: 2019-09-27source: wikidata, accessed: 2019-09-02source: NIOSH NPG, accessed: 2019-09-02, Spirit of niter source: wikipedia, accessed: 2019-09-27source: wikidata, accessed: 2019-09-02, Eau forte source: wikipedia, accessed: 2019-09-27
    • Appearance: Colorless, yellow or red fuming liquid source: wikipedia, accessed: 2019-09-27; Colourless-to-yellow liquid with pungent odour source: ICSC, accessed: 2019-09-04; Colorless, yellow, or red, fuming liquid with an acrid, suffocating odor. [Note: Often used in an aqueous solution. Fuming nitric acid is concentrated nitric acid that contains dissolved nitrogen dioxide.] source: NIOSH NPG, accessed: 2019-09-02

Products:

  • H2
    • Names: Dihydrogen source: wikidata, accessed: 2019-09-07, Hydrogen source: ICSC, accessed: 2019-09-04source: wikidata, accessed: 2019-09-07, H2 source: wikidata, accessed: 2019-09-07
    • Appearance: Odourless colourless compressed gas source: ICSC, accessed: 2019-09-04
  • CuNO3