Question

Ammonia, NH3, is produced from the reaction between nitrogen gas, N2, and hydrogen gas, H2, according to the following equation: N2 + 3H2 → 2NH3.

(b) Determine the limiting reactant.
(c) Calculate the mass of ammonia produced.

Answer 1

The limiting reactant in this reaction is hydrogen, and the mass of ammonia produced is 34 grams.

Step-by-step explanation:

The limiting reactant in a chemical reaction is the reactant that is completely consumed, thereby limiting the amount of product that can be formed. To determine the limiting reactant, we compare the moles of each reactant to their stoichiometric coefficients in the balanced equation. In this case, we have 6.2 moles of nitrogen and according to the balanced equation, 1 mole of nitrogen reacts with 3 moles of hydrogen to produce 2 moles of ammonia. So, the moles of hydrogen required to react with 6.2 moles of nitrogen can be calculated as follows:

6.2 moles of nitrogen x (3 moles of hydrogen / 1 mole of nitrogen) = 18.6 moles of hydrogen

Since we do not have enough hydrogen (18.6 moles) to react with all the nitrogen (6.2 moles), hydrogen is the limiting reactant.

To calculate the mass of ammonia produced, we convert the moles of ammonia to grams using the molar mass of ammonia. The molar mass of ammonia (NH3) is approximately 17 grams/mol. So, the mass of ammonia produced can be calculated as follows:

2 moles of ammonia x (17 grams / 1 mole of ammonia) = 34 grams of ammonia