Final answer:
The greatest amount of ammonia product is produced when 1 mole of nitrogen and 3 moles of hydrogen react, as this corresponds to the stoichiometrically correct proportions of the reaction N₂(g) + 3H₂(g) → 2NH₃(g), resulting in no reactants left in excess.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question seeks to identify which reaction mixture would produce the greatest amount of ammonia (NH3) when nitrogen (N2) reacts with hydrogen (H2) according to the balanced chemical equation N2(g) + 3H2(g) → 2NH3(g). The correct answer is the mixture with 1 mole of nitrogen and 3 moles of hydrogen, as it provides the exact stoichiometric proportions needed for the reaction to proceed without any reactants in excess, thus maximizing the yield of ammonia.
When the reaction is scaled with these proportions, regardless of the number of moles used, the mole ratio remains the same and thus the number of moles of product formed will also be the same. Therefore, it is false to assume that a reaction mixture with more moles of reactants will always produce more product. The mixture with 5 moles of nitrogen and 3 moles of hydrogen or the mixture with 3 moles of nitrogen and 3 moles of hydrogen will have excess nitrogen, and the mixture with 1 mole of nitrogen and 6 moles of hydrogen will have excess hydrogen, limiting the efficiency of the reaction in terms of product yield.