[4] The anhydrous salt can be made from zirconium tetrachloride reacting with dinitrogen pentoxide.

Zr(NO3)3(H2O)+3 has a tricapped trigonal prismatic structure, with the nitrates connected by two oxygen atoms each (bidentate).

[5] The pentanitrato complex Zr(NO3)−5 has all the nitrate groups bidentate, and has a bicapped square antiprism shape.

[7] Zirconium nitrate[8] and nitronium pentanitratozirconate can be used as chemical vapour deposition precursors as they are volatile, and decompose above 100 °C to form zirconia.

It has the advantage in that it is a single source, meaning it does not have to be mixed with other materials like oxygen, and decomposes at a relatively low temperature, and does not contaminate the surface with other elements such as hydrogen or fluorine.

[11] Zirconium nitrate can be used as a Lewis acid catalyst in the formation of N-substituted pyrroles.