Peroxynitrate Explained

Peroxynitrate (or peroxonitrate) refers to salts of the unstable peroxynitric acid, HNO₄. Peroxynitrate is unstable and decomposes to nitrate and dioxygen.^[1]

No solid peroxynitrate salts are known. However, there is a report that the chemist Sebastian Moiseevich Tanatar produced sodium peroxynitrate octahydrate (NaNO₃·H₂O₂·8H₂O) by evaporating a solution of sodium nitrate and hydrogen peroxide until crystallisation begins and then mixing with alcohol to form crystals of the octahydrate.^[2]

Notes and References

1. Miyamoto. Sayuri. Ronsein. Graziella E.. Corrêa. Thaís C.. Martinez. Glaucia R.. Medeiros. Marisa H. G.. Di Mascio. Paolo. 2009. Direct evidence of singlet molecular oxygen generation from peroxynitrate, a decomposition product of peroxynitrite. Dalton Transactions. 29. 5720. 10.1039/b905560f. 1477-9226.
2. Book: Mellor, Joseph William. Joseph Mellor

   . Joseph Mellor. A Comprehensive Treatise on Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, Volume 2. 1922. Longmans, Green and Co.. New York. 816.