Why Doesn't Nitric Acid React with Copper Oxide?

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Nitric acid does not react with copper oxide because it is already in a higher oxidation state, making it less reactive in this context. However, when nitric acid is added to copper metal, a reaction occurs that produces nitrogen dioxide, a brown gas, indicating that copper is oxidized by nitric acid. The confusion arises from the fact that while copper oxide can react with nitric acid to form copper nitrate and water, this reaction does not occur with elemental copper. The key takeaway is that the oxidation state of the reactants influences their reactivity, with copper oxide being stable against nitric acid while copper metal is not.
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Why is it that nitric acid won't react with copper oxide, but it will react with copper?
 
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Why do you think? What reaction do you think will happen?
 
Vanadium 50 said:
Why do you think? What reaction do you think will happen?
I tried it during a lab, and nothing had happened so i am not sure, but when i added nitric acid to copper metal a brown gas had formed, and i am wondering why nitric acid reacts with copper but not copper oxide, and the only conclusion i am at, is that copper oxide does not react with nitric acid, but after searching online i found that they do to form a salt.. CuO + 2 HNO3 → Cu(NO3)2 + H2O. So i am pretty confused.
 

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