QUESTION IMAGE
Question
balance the entire chemical reaction using an atom inventory. remember to balance each element in the reaction.
nh4no3→n2o+h2o
when the equation is balanced, what is the coefficient of h2o?
Step1: Count atoms on both sides
- Reactants: \(NH_4NO_3\) has \(2\) \(N\) atoms, \(4\) \(H\) atoms, \(3\) \(O\) atoms.
- Products: \(N_2O\) has \(2\) \(N\) atoms, \(1\) \(O\) atom; \(H_2O\) has \(2\) \(H\) atoms, \(1\) \(O\) atom.
Step2: Balance hydrogen and oxygen
Let the coefficient of \(NH_4NO_3\) be \(1\). For hydrogen: \(4\) \(H\) atoms in \(NH_4NO_3\), so \(2\) \(H_2O\) (since \(2\times2 = 4\) \(H\) atoms).
Check oxygen: \(1\) \(NH_4NO_3\) has \(3\) \(O\) atoms. \(N_2O\) has \(1\) \(O\) atom and \(2\) \(H_2O\) has \(2\) \(O\) atoms (\(1 + 2=3\) \(O\) atoms).
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