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How many hydrogen atoms would bind with one nitrogen atom to create a neutrally charged molecule?

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Final answer:

Three hydrogen atoms will bond with one nitrogen atom to form a neutrally charged molecule, which is ammonia (NH3). If four hydrogens are bonded to nitrogen, the molecule is ammonium (NH4+) and carries a positive charge.

Step-by-step explanation:

How many hydrogen atoms bind with one nitrogen atom?

A neutrally charged molecule formed by hydrogen and nitrogen is ammonia (NH3). A neutral hydrogen atom has one valence electron and shares one pair of bonding electrons in a molecule, resulting in no formal charge. A neutral nitrogen atom has five valence electrons. In ammonia, nitrogen shares three bonding pairs with hydrogen atoms and retains one lone pair, assigning nitrogen a total of five electrons (2 nonbonding e¯ + 6 bonding e¯/2), maintaining a neutral charge.

When we calculate the formal charges using the provided equations, we find that both the hydrogen atoms and the central nitrogen atom have a formal charge of zero, leading to an overall neutral molecule. Therefore, three hydrogen atoms will bond with one nitrogen atom to create a neutrally charged molecule of ammonia (NH3).

In contrast, if four hydrogens are bonded to a central nitrogen, the molecule, known as ammonium (NH4+), carries a positive charge, indicated by the charge outside the square brackets surrounding the molecular formula.

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