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Below is the symbol equation for the reaction between nitrogen and hydrogen to form ammonia. What number is needed in the blank before H_(2) to balance the equation? N_(2)+ldots H_(2)arrow 2NH_(3)

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Below is the symbol equation for the reaction between nitrogen and hydrogen to form ammonia.
What number is needed in the blank before H_(2) to balance the equation?
N_(2)+ldots H_(2)arrow 2NH_(3)

Below is the symbol equation for the reaction between nitrogen and hydrogen to form ammonia. What number is needed in the blank before H_(2) to balance the equation? N_(2)+ldots H_(2)arrow 2NH_(3)

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KieranMaster · Tutor for 5 years

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## Step 1: Identifying the Unbalanced Equation <br />In chemistry balancing equations is crucial, as it shows the law of conservation of mass, which states that in a chemical process, the mass and the number of each type of atom must be preserved. So looking at this reaction of nitrogen and hydrogen forming ammonia: <br />\[ <br />\mathrm{N}_{2}+\_\_ \mathrm{H}_{2} \rightarrow 2 \mathrm{NH}_{3} <br />\]<br />we need to find the missing coefficient in front of \(\mathrm{H}_{2} \) so that we have the same amount of each type of atom appearing on the left hand side (the reactants) and the right hand side (the products) of the equation. <br /><br />## Step 2: Balancing Nitrogen Atoms <br />Inspecting the Nitrogen (N) atoms, we notice that Nitrogen is already balanced, with 2 Nitrogen atoms on the reactant side (\(\mathrm{N}_{2}\)) and 2 Nitrogen atoms on the product side (in \(2 \mathrm{NH}_{3}\))<br />\[ <br />\mathrm{N}_{2}+\_\_ \mathrm{H}_{2} \rightarrow 2 \mathrm{NH}_{3} <br />\]<br /><br />## Step 3: Balancing Hydrogen Atoms <br />Next, we need to inspect and balance the Hydrogen (H) atoms. On the product side, there are 6 Hydrogen atoms (in \(2 \mathrm{NH}_{3}\)). Therefore, we need to ensure that there are also 6 Hydrogen atoms on the reactant side. Considering that each Hydrogen molecule, \(\mathrm{H}_{2} \), contains 2 Hydrogen atoms, we need three \( \mathrm{H}_{2}\) molecules on the reactant side to balance the equation.<br />\[ <br />\mathrm{N}_{2}+ 3 \mathrm{H}_{2} \rightarrow 2 \mathrm{NH}_{3} <br />\]
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