Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Nitrates

Nitrates are inorganic ions and compounds containing the nitrate group, a nitrogen atom bonded to three oxygen atoms carrying a single negative charge. Highly soluble in water and central to the nitrogen cycle, nitrate is the form in which plants most readily take up nitrogen, which makes nitrate salts important fer…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 7 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 50× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2377-2549

Overview

Nitrates are inorganic ions and compounds containing the nitrate group, a nitrogen atom bonded to three oxygen atoms carrying a single negative charge. Highly soluble in water and central to the nitrogen cycle, nitrate is the form in which plants most readily take up nitrogen, which makes nitrate salts important fertilizers and also explains their accumulation in the environment. Chemically, nitrates are strong oxidizers, a property exploited in applications ranging from explosives and propellants to food preservation, where nitrate and nitrite salts inhibit microbial growth in cured meats. A central environmental concern is nitrate contamination of surface water and groundwater. Excess fertilizer application, intensive land use, and discharges from agriculture and industry leach nitrate into water bodies, where it serves as an indicator of water quality and a driver of eutrophication that depletes dissolved oxygen and degrades aquatic ecosystems. Elevated nitrate in drinking water is also a recognized human-health hazard. Because nitrate moves easily through soils and waterways, monitoring its concentration is a routine part of water-quality analysis, and controlling its sources is a goal of sustainable agriculture and watershed management. Understanding nitrate chemistry and behavior connects soil science, environmental chemistry, and public health, linking nutrient management to the protection of water resources.

Research published in this journal

7 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 7 articles above have been cited 50 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Nov 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Nitrates, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Journal of New Developments in Chemistry (ISSN 2377-2549).

Journal editorial board
Zhe-Sheng Chen · United States Abel Jose de Sousa Costa Vieira · Portugal Amirhassan Amiri · Iran, Islamic Republic of

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.