Question
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4.91 For the reaction
a. Balance the equation.

Ask by Robbins Murphy. in Canada
Mar 25,2025

Upstudy AI Solution

Tutor-Verified Answer

Answer

The balanced equation is:

Solution

  1. Write the unbalanced reaction:
  2. Assign coefficients to each species:
    Let the balanced equation be
  3. Balance the atoms for each element.
    • Nitrogen:
      On the left: atoms (from ).
      On the right: atoms (each contains 3 nitrogen atoms).
      Therefore,
    • Hydrogen:
      On the left: atoms (from ).
      On the right: atoms (each contains 1 hydrogen atom).
      Therefore,
  4. Choose the smallest integer values to satisfy these equations.
    • From the hydrogen balance, we have .
    • Substitute into the nitrogen balance:
    • Set (the smallest positive integer):
  5. Write the balanced equation with the coefficients:
  6. Verify the balancing:
    • Nitrogen:
      Left: nitrogen atoms.
      Right: nitrogen atoms.
    • Hydrogen:
      Left: hydrogen atoms.
      Right: hydrogen atoms.
The balanced equation is:

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Simplify this solution

Beyond the Answer

To balance the equation, we need to ensure that the number of each type of atom is the same on both sides. Start with the unbalanced equation:
Notice that we have 2 nitrogen (N) atoms on the left and 1 nitrogen atom in HN₃ on the right. To balance nitrogen, we need 2 HN₃ products, giving us:
Next, we have 2 nitrogen on both sides, but we need to balance hydrogen (H). The 2 HN₃ contains 6 hydrogen atoms (2 × 3). Thus, to balance hydrogen, we can adjust the amount of H₂:
So, the balanced equation is:
Now, both sides have 2 nitrogen and 6 hydrogen atoms.

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