Nitric acid is an oxidising agent and reacts with PbO but it does not react with PbO2. Explain why?


PbO is a base. It reacts with nitric acid and forms soluble lead nitrate.
PbO+2HNO3Pb(NO3)2soluble+H2O (acid base reaction)
Nitric acid does not react with PbO2. Both of them are strong oxidising agents. In HNO3, nitrogen is in its maximum oxidation state (+5) and in PbO2, lead is in its maximum oxidation state (+4). Therefore, no reaction takes place.