Example of an insoluble nitrate is bismuth oxynitrate

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NITRATE 
Nitrate 
is 
a 
polyatomic 
ion 
with 
the 
chemical 
formula 
NO− 
3. Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of 
fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are soluble in water. An 
example of an insoluble nitrate is bismuth oxynitrate. 
Structure 
 
The nitrate ion with the partial charges shown 
The ion is the conjugate base of nitric acid, consisting of one 
central nitrogen atom surrounded by three identically bonded oxygen atoms in 
a trigonal planar arrangement. The nitrate ion carries a formal charge of −1. This 
charge results from a combination formal charge in which each of the three oxygens 
carries a −2⁄3 charge, whereas the nitrogen carries a +1 charge, all these adding up 
to formal charge of the polyatomic nitrate ion. This arrangement is commonly used 
as an example of resonance. Like the isoelectronic carbonate ion, the nitrate ion can 
be represented by resonance structures: 
Dietary nitrate 
A rich source of inorganic nitrate in the human diets come from leafy green foods, 
such 
as 
spinach 
and 
arugula. 
NO− 
3 (inorganic nitrate) is the viable active component within beetroot juice and other 
vegetables. Drinking water is also a dietary source.

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Dietary nitrate supplementation delivers positive results when testing endurance 
exercise performance.
Ingestion of large doses of nitrate either in the form of pure sodium nitrate or 
beetroot juice in young healthy individuals rapidly increases plasma nitrate 
concentration by a factor of 2 to 3, and this elevated nitrate concentration can be 
maintained for at least 2 weeks. Increased plasma nitrate stimulates the production 
of nitric oxide, NO. Nitric oxide is an important physiological signaling molecule 
that is used in, among other things, regulation of muscle blood flow and 
mitochondrial respiration.
Cured meats 
Nitrite consumption is primarily determined by the amount of processed meats 
eaten, and the concentration of nitrates in these meats. Although nitrites are the 
nitrogen compound chiefly used in meat curing, nitrates are used as well. Nitrates 
lead to the formation of nitrosamines. The production of carcinogenic nitrosamines 
may be inhibited by the use of the antioxidants vitamin C and the alpha-
tocopherol form of vitamin E during curing.
Anti-hypertensive diets, such as the DASH diet, typically contain high levels of 
nitrates, which are first reduced to nitrite in the saliva, as detected in saliva testing, 
prior to forming nitric oxide.
Occurrence and production 
Nitrate salts are found naturally on earth in arid environments as large deposits,