At equal concentration which concentrated acid is the most corrosive out of hydrochloric, sulphuric and nitric.

Answer 1

I wouldn't want to bathe in any of the three but I think HNO3 is by far the most corrosive (and remember corrosive is not a very unscientific term so the answer could depend upon how we define corrosive.)

Answer 2

DrBob answered the question the way most of us would. A little added information here: Corrosive to most people means an oxidizing agent. It causes the oxidation (rise in oxidation number) of other elements, especially metals. More metals dissolve in HNO3 that they do in the other two acids. Example: Copper and silver do not react with HCl and H2SO4 under ordinary conditions. However, copper and silver dissolve readily in HNO3 forming Cu(NO3)2 and AgNO3 in which the oxidation state of the metal is higher after changing to its nitrate salt. That is "corrosion" in the sense of oxidation. The rule implied here ("HNO3 is more corrosive") is not universal. Aluminum can be oxidized easily by HCl and H2SO4 but not by HNO3.

Answer 3

I need to correct my sentence above to read, "Corrosive is not a very scientific term" .......
Thanks to GK for the added comments.