Question

The enthalpy change for the explosion of ammonium nitrate with fuel oil is –7198.00 kj for 3 moles of nh4no3. if δhrxn for the thermal decomposition of 2 moles of tnt is –20,306.00 kj, how much tnt is needed to equal the explosive power of 1 mole of ammonium nitrate?

Answer 1

To equal the explosive power of 1 mole of ammonium nitrate, approximately 0.236 moles of TNT would be needed, based on the respective enthalpy changes for the explosion of ammonium nitrate and the thermal decomposition of TNT.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the amount of TNT needed to equal the explosive power of 1 mole of ammonium nitrate, we use the given enthalpy changes. We know that the enthalpy change for the explosion of ammonium nitrate is –7198.00 kJ for 3 moles. This means for 1 mole, it would be –(7198.00 kJ / 3) = –2399.33 kJ.

For the thermal decomposition of TNT, –20,306.00 kJ is given for 2 moles. Hence, the enthalpy change per mole is –(20306.00 kJ / 2) = –10153.00 kJ per mole. Now, we compare the two to find out how many moles of TNT would be needed to match the explosive power of 1 mole of ammonium nitrate.

–2399.33 kJ of ammonium nitrate is equivalent to how much TNT? This would be 2399.33 kJ / 10153.00 kJ per mole TNT = 0.236 moles of TNT. Therefore, approximately 0.236 moles of TNT is needed to equal the explosive power of 1 mole of ammonium nitrate.