Question

the diagram below shows the reaction of nitrogen with hydrogen to produce ammonia

the reaction above takes place in a closed system. what is true about the mass of the nitrogen atoms in this reaction?
oa. the mass of the nitrogen atoms decreases in the reactants and increases in the products
ob. the mass of the nitrogen atoms increases in the reactants and decreases in the products
oc. the mass of the nitrogen atoms in the reactants is greater than the mass of the nitrogen atoms in the products
od. the mass of the nitrogen atoms in the reactants is equal to the mass of the nitrogen atoms in the products

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the law of conservation of mass

In a chemical reaction (in a closed system), atoms are neither created nor destroyed. They are just rearranged.

Step2: Analyze nitrogen atoms

For nitrogen atoms specifically, since they are just being rearranged from \(N_2\) (reactant) to \(NH_3\) (product) and no nitrogen atoms are added or removed from the system (closed system), the number of nitrogen atoms remains the same. And since the mass of an atom is constant, the mass of nitrogen atoms in reactants equals the mass in products.

Answer:

D. The mass of the nitrogen atoms in the reactants is equal to the mass of the nitrogen atoms in the products.