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Measuring ammonia concentration is tricky. Why (3)?

User Josh Davis
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Final answer:

Measuring ammonia concentration is critical for stoichiometric calculations in chemical reactions and for safety reasons, and it involves using gas laws to relate volume, temperature, and pressure of the gas to find the number of moles present.

Step-by-step explanation:

Measuring ammonia concentration is indeed tricky due to several factors. Ammonia (NH3) is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen that is common in nature and widely used in industry, known for its pungent smell and caustic nature when concentrated. For stoichiometric purposes in chemical reactions, it is crucial to accurately know the amount of ammonia present.

To measure ammonia concentrations, you can apply gas laws given that ammonia can exist in gaseous form. This involves using the relationship between the volume, temperature, and pressure of the gas to determine the number of moles present. This method is useful for reactions where ammonia is involved in its gaseous state.

Additionally, ammonia detection is essential for safety reasons, as it can be both caustic and hazardous, but also because it can quickly transform into a gas, such as when mixed with chlorine. It is also an important substance in biological contexts, where it is converted to urea before it can be safely stored in the body. Therefore, having precise methods to measure its concentration is important not only in stoichiometric calculations but also for health and safety considerations.

User Vasseurth
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