Final answer:
Zinc treated with very dilute nitric acid forms zinc nitrate and nitrogen monoxide (NO) gas, due to nitric acid's oxidizing nature, which favors the reduction of nitrogen over hydrogen.
Step-by-step explanation:
When zinc is treated with very dilute nitric acid, it typically undergoes a chemical reaction, forming Zn(NO3)2 (zinc nitrate), along with the reduction products including nitrogen monoxide (NO) gas. The reduction of nitrogen instead of hydrogen usually occurs because nitric acid is a powerful oxidizing agent. Produce hydrogen gas as a metal like zinc might do with a less oxidizing acid, such as hydrochloric acid.
Instead, when zinc reacts with dilute nitric acid, it is more likely to yield nitrogen oxides as a byproduct. Nitric acid, especially when dilute, reacts with active metals like zinc to release hydrogen gas, but the reaction produces different nitrogen oxides dependent on the conditions, such as the concentration of the acid and the temperature.