Question

Ammonia (NH₃) can be converted to nitrogen and hydrogen gas in the presence of a tungsten catalyst:

2NH₃ (g) → N₂ (g) + 3H₂ (g) How many moles of nitrogen gas form when 11.5 moles of ammonia are reacted?

Answer 1

When 11.5 moles of ammonia are reacted, 5.75 moles of nitrogen gas are formed. This is calculated using the stoichiometric ratio from the balanced decomposition equation of ammonia, which is 2 moles of NH₃ producing 1 mole of N₂.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student asked how many moles of nitrogen gas form when 11.5 moles of ammonia are reacted. According to the balanced chemical equation for the decomposition of ammonia (2NH₃ (g) → N₂ (g) + 3H₂ (g)), two moles of ammonia (NH₃) will produce one mole of nitrogen gas (N₂).

To find out how many moles of nitrogen gas are produced from 11.5 moles of ammonia, we use the stoichiometric ratio from the balanced equation which is 2:1 (ammonia to nitrogen). This means that for every two moles of ammonia, one mole of nitrogen gas is produced. Therefore, we divide the moles of ammonia provided (11.5 moles) by 2 to find the number of moles of nitrogen gas formed:

11.5 moles NH₃ × (1 mole N₂ / 2 moles NH₃) = 5.75 moles N₂

So, 5.75 moles of nitrogen gas are formed when 11.5 moles of ammonia are reacted.