Not Cycling

[snazy]

Yep, thanks for the correction. Hydrogen ions are only released in the ammonia to nitrite conversion.

 

[OldMan47]

OK Snazy, and you too PO, where does the extra oxygen atom come from to form the nitrate from the nitrite, NO3 from NO2? The conversion turns nitrous acid into nitric acid, with the attendant extra hydrogen.

 

[snazy]

OK Snazy, and you too PO, where does the extra oxygen atom come from to form the nitrate from the nitrite, NO3 from NO2? The conversion turns nitrous acid into nitric acid, with the attendant extra hydrogen.

The nitrite reacts with oxygen (O2), not with water (H2O)

This is the formula for nitrite to nitrate converstion and there are no hydrogen ions released(which is normally the cause for the water being acidified)

2 NO2- + O2 -> 2 NO3-

If you present the above chemistry formula in a mathematical view, here it is what it looks like:

2x(1xN +2xO)+ 2xO = 2xN+ 4xO + 2xO = 2x(N + 2xO + 1xO) = 2x(N + 3xO)= 2NO3

 

[snazy]

OK Snazy, and you too PO, where does the extra oxygen atom come from to form the nitrate from the nitrite, NO3 from NO2? The conversion turns nitrous acid into nitric acid, with the attendant extra hydrogen.

Just to add to the above that nitrous acid(HNO2) and nitric acid(HNO3) from your statement above have nothing to do with NitrIte(NO2) to NitrAte(NO3) conversion in a nitrogen cycle. I see where you got confused from, but nitrite and nitrate don't have a hydrogen ion(H)