The Ostwald process for the commercial production of nitric acid involves three steps:

2NO(g) + O2(g) †’ 2NO2(g)
3NO2(g) + H2O(l) †’ 2HNO3(l) + NO(g)
a. Calculate ΔHo, ΔSo, ΔGo, and K (at 298 K) for each of the three steps in the Ostwald process (see Appendix 4).
b. Calculate the equilibrium constant for the first step at 825oC. Assume that ΔHo and ΔSo are temperature- independent.
c. Is there a thermodynamic reason for the high temperature in the first step assuming standard conditions?

25C