A mixture of concentrated Nitric (V) acid and wood charcoal is heated. What observations are made and why? Write the relevant chemical equation.

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5. In an experiment to study the properties of concentrated Nitric (V) acid, a mixture of the acid and wood charcoal was heated in a boiling tube. a) What observations were made? Explain your answer.

   • Observations: The black solid (wood charcoal) disappears, brown fumes are produced, and a colorless gas is evolved.
   • Explanation: Concentrated nitric (V) acid is a strong oxidizing agent. It oxidizes carbon (from wood charcoal) to carbon dioxide (colorless gas). In the process, the nitric acid is reduced to nitrogen dioxide, which is a brown gas (fumes).

   b) Write an equation for the reaction that took