Question

(i)What is aqua regia?

(ii)Give any two uses of aqua regia.

Answer 1

(i) Metals like gold and silver are not reactive with either HCl or ${\mathrm{HNO}}_3.$ But the mixture of these two acids can dissolve gold. This mixture is called Aquaregia. It is a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid prepared optimally in a molar ratio of 3:1.
(ii) The two uses of aqua regia are:

1.It is chiefly used to dissolve metals such as gold and platinum.

2. It is used for cleaning and refining gold.