At high temperatures, ammonium nitrate decomposes into water vapor and nitrous oxide. One molecule of ammonium nitrate produces two molecules of water and one molecule of nitrous oxide. Ball-and-stick models of nitrous oxide and water molecules are shown.

Question

iven that mass is conserved in chemical reactions, how many hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms are there in a molecule of ammonium nitrate?

Answer 1

To determine the number of hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms in a molecule of ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃), we first need to examine its chemical formula.

Ammonium nitrate is composed of:

• Ammonium ion (NH₄⁺), which contains:

  • 1 nitrogen atom (N)
  • 4 hydrogen atoms (H)

• Nitrate ion (NO₃⁻), which contains:

  • 1 nitrogen atom (N)
  • 3 oxygen atoms (O)

Now, let's sum up the atoms:

• Nitrogen (N): There are 1 nitrogen atom from the ammonium ion and 1 nitrogen atom from the nitrate ion, giving a total of 2 nitrogen atoms (N).
• Hydrogen (H): There are 4 hydrogen atoms from the ammonium ion, and 0 from the nitrate ion, giving a total of 4 hydrogen atoms (H).
• Oxygen (O): There are 0 oxygen atoms from the ammonium ion and 3 oxygen atoms from the nitrate ion, giving a total of 3 oxygen atoms (O).

Putting it all together:

• Hydrogen atoms: 4
• Nitrogen atoms: 2
• Oxygen atoms: 3

So, a molecule of ammonium nitrate has:

• 4 hydrogen atoms
• 2 nitrogen atoms
• 3 oxygen atoms