Final answer:
The balanced chemical equation for the decomposition of dinitrogen oxide gas (N₂O) to its elements is: N₂O(g) → N₂(g) + ½O₂(g), which can also be written without fractions as 2N₂O(g) → 2N₂(g) + O₂(g).
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking how to write a balanced chemical equation for the decomposition of dinitrogen oxide (also known as nitrous oxide, N₂O) into its component elements, nitrogen (N₂) and oxygen (O₂). The balanced equation for this decomposition reaction is:
N₂O(g) → N₂(g) + ½O₂(g)
Remember that while balancing equations, you must ensure that the number of atoms for each element is equal on both sides of the equation. Since there is an odd number of oxygen atoms in this case, we use a fraction (1/2) to balance the oxygen atoms. It’s important to note that while writing chemical equations in school exercises we can use fractions, but in practice, these would be typically scaled to use whole numbers. In this example, you could multiply each term by 2 to avoid fractions, thus yielding:
2N₂O(g) → 2N₂(g) + O₂(g)
This equation now shows that two molecules of dinitrogen oxide decompose into two molecules of nitrogen and one molecule of oxygen, fully balancing the equation.