Ammonia, an important source of fixed nitrogen that can be metabolized by plants, is produced using the Haber process in which nitrogen and hydrogen combine.

Question

N2(g) + 3H2(g) --> 2NH3(g)

How many grams of nitrogen are needed to produce 325 grams of ammonia?

Answer 1

1 mole of nitrogen (N2) reacts with 3 moles of hydrogen (H2) to produce 2 moles of ammonia (NH3).

First, we need to calculate the molar mass of ammonia (NH3):
N: 14.01 g/mol
H: 1.01 g/mol
Molar mass of NH3 = 14.01 + (3 * 1.01) = 17.04 g/mol

Now, we can calculate the number of moles of ammonia produced from 325 grams:
325 g / 17.04 g/mol = 19.07 moles of NH3

From the balanced chemical equation, we know that 1 mole of N2 reacts to produce 2 moles of NH3. Therefore, the number of moles of N2 needed is half of the moles of NH3 produced:
19.07 moles of NH3 / 2 = 9.53 moles of N2

Now, we can calculate the grams of nitrogen needed:
Molar mass of N2 = 2 * 14.01 = 28.02 g/mol
9.53 moles * 28.02 g/mol = 267.21 grams of nitrogen

Therefore, 267.21 grams of nitrogen are needed to produce 325 grams of ammonia.