Question

Automobile air bags inflate during a crash by the rapid generation of N2 from sodium azide.

2NaN3(s)→2Na(s)+3N2(g)
If 59.0 L of N2 are produced by this reaction at a temperature of 15°C and a pressure of 1 atm, what mass of sodium azide must have reacted?

Answer 1

To determine the mass of sodium azide, we can use the ideal gas law to calculate the volume of nitrogen gas produced and then convert it to moles of nitrogen.

Step-by-step explanation:

The balanced chemical equation for the reaction of sodium azide (NaN3) decomposing and producing nitrogen gas (N2) is:

2NaN3(s) → 2Na(s) + 3N2(g)

From the equation, we can see that for every 2 moles of NaN3 that react, 3 moles of N2 are produced. Therefore, we can use the molar ratio as a conversion factor to calculate the moles of NaN3 reacted.

Given temperature (15°C) and pressure (1 atm), we can use the ideal gas law to calculate the volume of N2 produced. Then, we can use the molar volume of a gas at STP (standard temperature and pressure) to convert the volume of N2 to moles of N2.

Finally, using the molar ratio, we can determine the moles of NaN3 that must have reacted. From the moles of NaN3, we can calculate the mass of sodium azide using its molar mass.