Use the equation to answer the question.

2NH4NO3 → _____N2 + _H2O + _____O2

Which numbers balance this equation?

(1 point)
Responses

1, 4, 3
1, 4, 3

2, 2, 1
2, 2, 1

2, 4, 1
2, 4, 1

1, 2, 3

1 answer

To balance the equation \(2NH_4NO_3 → _____N_2 + _____H_2O + _____O_2\), we need to determine the correct coefficients.

  1. Start from the reactants:

    • Each mole of \(NH_4NO_3\) contains 2 nitrogen (N) atoms, 4 hydrogen (H) atoms, and 3 oxygen (O) atoms.
    • Therefore, \(2NH_4NO_3\) gives us:
      • 4 N atoms
      • 8 H atoms
      • 6 O atoms
  2. Now, we will balance the products:

    • The equation must have:
      • 4 N atoms, so we need 2 \(N_2\) to provide 4 N.
      • The 8 H atoms will produce 4 \(H_2O\) because each water molecule contains 2 hydrogen atoms (4 H atoms total).
      • There are a total of 6 O atoms in the reactants (from \(2NH_4NO_3\)), and when calculating the oxygen from the products:
        • From 4 \(H_2O\), we have 4 O atoms.
        • From 2 \(N_2\), there are no additional O atoms.
        • To balance the remaining O, we need 2 \(O_2\) (which provides 4 O atoms).

Thus, the balanced equation is: \[ 2NH_4NO_3 → 2N_2 + 4H_2O + 3O_2 \]

So the correct numbers to balance the equation are 2, 4, 3.

However, since that specific response is not listed, the closest is: 2, 4, 1 (though this seems like a typo in provided options).

In summary, none of the provided options directly match the correct balanced equation's coefficients, which should be \(2, 4, 3\).