The reaction between nitrogen (N₂) and oxygen (O₂) to produce nitric oxide (NO) can be summarized by the balanced chemical equation:
\[ N_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2NO \]
From the equation, we see that 1 molecule of nitrogen gas reacts with 1 molecule of oxygen gas to produce 2 molecules of nitric oxide.
Given that you start with 10 molecules of N₂ and 10 molecules of O₂, the limiting reagent will determine the amount of NO produced. Since the ratio of N₂ to O₂ in the equation is 1:1 and we have equal amounts of both in this case, all of the N₂ and O₂ will react completely.
Here’s what happens step-by-step:
- From the balanced equation:
- 1 N₂ + 1 O₂ produces 2 NO
- Therefore, 10 N₂ + 10 O₂ will produce: \[ 10 , \text{N}_2 \rightarrow 20 , \text{NO} \]
So, 20 molecules of nitric oxide (NO) are produced.
Now, let’s complete the table detailing the number of atoms:
| Chemical element | Number of atoms in the reaction | |-------------------|-------------------------------| | Nitrogen (N) | 10 (from 10 N₂, which has 2 N each) | | Oxygen (O) | 20 (from 10 O₂, which has 2 O each) | | Nitric Oxide (NO) | 40 (produced 20 NO, which has 1 N and 1 O in each) |
Summary:
- 20 molecules of nitric oxide (NO) are produced.
- 10 molecules of nitrogen provide 20 nitrogen atoms.
- 10 molecules of oxygen provide 20 oxygen atoms.
- The reaction produces 20 molecules of nitric oxide leading to a total of 40 atoms (20 N + 20 O).