Question

"2. During thunderstorms, lightning flashes cause nitrogen to combine with oxygen in the atmosphere to form nitrogen monoxide. Then nitrogen monoxide reacts further with oxygen to form nitrogen dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide is the component of smog that gives it a brownish coloration. The chemical reactions for the formation of nitrogen dioxide can be seen below.

N2+O2 NO
NO + O2 NO2
a. Balance each chemical equation.
b. How many moles of N2 are needed to produce 10 moles of NO?
c. How many moles of NO are needed to produce 12 moles of NO2?
d. If there is an excess amount of oxygen, how many moles of NO2 would be produced from 3 moles of N2?"

Answer 1

The balanced chemical equations for the formation of nitrogen oxides and their contribution to photochemical smog are given.

Step-by-step explanation:

Balancing Chemical Equations and Reaction Stoichiometry

The question involves the formation of nitrogen oxides (NOx) during thunderstorms and their role in the formation of photochemical smog. The reactions can be balanced as follows:

Step 1: N₂(g) + O₂(g) → 2NO(g)
Step 2: 2NO(g) + O₂(g) → 2NO₂(g)

a. The chemical equations are already balanced as written above. Each element has the same number of atoms on both sides of the equation.

b. To produce 10 moles of NO, 5 moles of N₂ are required because the balanced equation shows that 1 mole of N₂ produces 2 moles of NO.

c. To produce 12 moles of NO₂, 12 moles of NO are needed because the balanced equation shows a 1:1 molar ratio between NO and NO₂.

d. If oxygen is in excess and 3 moles of N₂ are used, according to the first equation, 3 moles of N₂ will produce 6 moles of NO. Then, these 6 moles of NO can produce 6 moles of NO₂ because the second equation has a 1:1 molar ratio between NO and NO₂.

Five moles of N2 are needed to produce 10 moles of NO, and 12 moles of NO are needed to produce 12 moles of NO2. With excess oxygen, 3 moles of N2 will produce 6 moles of NO2.