Question

in the atmosphere, nitric oxide forms when a lightning strike causes nitrogen gas to react with oxygen gas. consider the following reaction: 3 molecules of nitrogen (n₂) react with 3 molecules of oxygen (o₂) to produce some amount of nitric oxide (no). complete the table below. during this reaction, how many molecules of nitric oxide (no) are produced?

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate the number of N atoms

Each \(N_2\) molecule has 2 N atoms. There are 3 \(N_2\) molecules. So the number of N atoms is \(3\times2 = 6\).

Step2: Calculate the number of O atoms

Each \(O_2\) molecule has 2 O atoms. There are 3 \(O_2\) molecules. So the number of O atoms is \(3\times2=6\).

Step3: Determine the number of NO molecules

The chemical formula of nitric oxide is NO. Each NO molecule has 1 N atom and 1 O atom. Since there are 6 N atoms and 6 O atoms, the number of NO molecules is 6 (because the ratio of N to O in NO is 1:1).

Answer:

Chemical element	Number of atoms in the reaction
O	6

The number of molecules of nitric oxide (NO) produced is 6.