All nitrogen oxides are thermodynamically unstable with respect to decomposition to N₂ and O₂, but they are kinetically stable, ie. the rate of decomposition is very slow.

All the oxides contain Npπ-Opπ bonding.

Nitrous Oxide/Dinitrogen oxide (N₂O):

The oxidation state of N is +1, and this compound is a colourless gas and chemically inert.

isoelectronic with CO2 and N3-. The N-N bond order is ~2.5

Nitric Oxide/Nitrogen Monoxide (NO):

The oxidation state of N is +2, and this is a colourless, paramagnetic gas (ie. it is a radical, or contains an unpaired electron). It plays an important role in the formation of ozone in the atmosphere.

π-acid: acts as a 1-electron (σ-) or 3-electron (σ- + π-) donor in forming transition metal complexes, eg. Cr(NO)4 is a tetrahedral 18-electron complex.

Dinitrogen Trioxide (N₂O₃):

The oxidation state of N is +3. This is a blue solid or liquid, which dissociates to NO and NO₂ in the gas phase, and reacts with water to give nitrous acid (HNO₂).

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂):

The oxidation state of N is +4. This exists in equilibrium between NO₂ and N₂O₄. NO₂ is a brown, paramagnetic gas (ie. it contains an unpaired electron), and N₂O₄ is a colourless, diamagnetic solid (ie. it contains only paired electrons).

Dinitrogen Pentoxide (N₂O₅):

The oxidation state of N is +5. This is the acid anhydride of nitric acid, and has a symmetric, planar structure.

Production from HNO3: