Question

formation of ammonia
figure 2 the diagram of the molecules and
the chemical equation are both models that
represent the formation of ammonia from
nitrogen and hydrogen gas.

1. claim circle the product and

underline the coefficients in the
chemical equation.

1. evidence how many atoms of hydrogen

are in one molecule of ammonia?

1. reasoning are any atoms created or

destroyed in this reaction? explain.

Explanation:

1. Claim

• Product: In a chemical equation, the product is on the right - hand side of the arrow. So, circle \(2NH_3\).
• Coefficients: Coefficients are the numbers in front of the chemical formulas. Underline \(1\) (for \(N_2\), since \(N_2\) can be thought of as \(1N_2\)), \(3\) (for \(3H_2\)), and \(2\) (for \(2NH_3\)).

2. Evidence

• The formula for ammonia is \(NH_3\). In one molecule of \(NH_3\), the subscript of \(H\) is \(3\). So, there are \(3\) hydrogen atoms in one molecule of ammonia.

3. Reasoning

• According to the law of conservation of mass (or atoms), in a chemical reaction, atoms are neither created nor destroyed. They are just rearranged.
• In the reaction \(N_2+3H_2

ightarrow2NH_3\), we can count the atoms:

• Nitrogen atoms:
• On the reactant side: \(1\) molecule of \(N_2\) has \(2\) nitrogen atoms.
• On the product side: \(2\) molecules of \(NH_3\), and each \(NH_3\) has \(1\) nitrogen atom, so \(2\times1 = 2\) nitrogen atoms.
• Hydrogen atoms:
• On the reactant side: \(3\) molecules of \(H_2\), and each \(H_2\) has \(2\) hydrogen atoms, so \(3\times2=6\) hydrogen atoms.
• On the product side: \(2\) molecules of \(NH_3\), and each \(NH_3\) has \(3\) hydrogen atoms, so \(2\times3 = 6\) hydrogen atoms.

Answer:

1. Circle \(2NH_3\); underline \(1\) (for \(N_2\)), \(3\) (for \(3H_2\)), and \(2\) (for \(2NH_3\)).
2. \(3\)
3. No, atoms are neither created nor destroyed. There are \(2\) nitrogen atoms and \(6\) hydrogen atoms on both the reactant and product sides.