Question

What is the name of $N{O^{3 - }}$ ?
The information I can get keeps saying that it’s nitrate, but isn’t nitrate $N{O_3}^ -$ .

Answer 1

Hint : Yes, this is true that the chemical formula given in the question is the error. No such ion with the chemical formula exists $N{O^{3 - }}$ in any chemistry books. It is just a mistake. The ion which exists is nitrate ion.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
The ion given in the question $N{O^{3 - }}$ is a typo. It does not exist in reality. The ion which exists is nitrate ion which has the chemical formula $N{O_3}^ -$ . Although the chemical formula almost looks the same, we get confused between the two ions. The nitrate ion is a polyatomic ion and the salts which contain this nitrate ion are called nitrates. The nitrate ion is a conjugate base of nitric acid.
The nitrate ion consists of one central atom i.e. nitrogen atom and it is surrounded by three identical bonded oxygen atoms. Its arrangement is trigonal planar. The nitrate ion has a formal charge of $- 1$ . These nitrates also show resonance. It has three resonance structures.
Structure of nitrate ion:

There are many applications of nitrate ions due to their high solubility and biodegradability. It is mainly used as fertilizers in agriculture. Some of the examples of nitrate fertilizer are ammonium, sodium, and magnesium salts etc. It is also used as oxidizing agents in explosives where the oxidation of carbon compounds releases large amounts of gases. Sodium nitrate is used to remove the air bubbles from some ceramics and molten glass.
Hence, no such ion $N{O^{3 - }}$ exists in chemistry.

Note :
Don’t get confused between these two ions $N{O^{3 - }}$ and $N{O_3}^ -$ anions. $N{O_3}^ -$ is called a nitrate ion whereas $N{O^{3 - }}$ does not exist. Also, there is a nitride anion ${N_3}^ -$ , it is the conjugate base of hydrazoic acid $H{N_3}$ .