Chapter 7, Problem 18A

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

The unbalanced chemical equation corresponding to the production of nitrous oxide from ammonium nitrate needs to be presented.

Concept Introduction:

• A chemical reaction is expressed as a chemical equation having reactants and products on the left and right side of the reaction arrow respectively.

  $\text{Reactants }\to \text{ Products}$

• It also gives the physical state (solid (s), liquid (l), gas (g)) and the amount of reactants and products involved in the reaction.

Answer to Problem 18A

  ${{\text{(NH}}_{\text{4}}\text{)}}_2{\text{NO}}_{\text{3}}\text{(s) }\stackrel{\text{heat}}{\to }\text{ N}\text{O}{\text{ (g) + H}}_{\text{2}}\text{O (g) }$

Explanation of Solution

The given process involves heating solid ammonium nitrate to form nitrous oxide gas and water vapor. The reactants and products are:

Reactants:

  ${\text{Ammonium nitrate, solid - (NH}}_{\text{4}}{\text{)}}_{\text{2}}{\text{NO}}_{\text{3}}(\text{s})$

Products:

  $\begin{array}{l}{\text{Nitrous oxide, gas - N}}_{\text{2}}\text{O (g)}\\ {\text{Water vapor - H}}_{\text{2}}\text{O (g)}\end{array}$

Unbalanced equation:

  ${{\text{(NH}}_{\text{4}}\text{)}}_2{\text{NO}}_{\text{3}}\text{(s) }\stackrel{\text{heat}}{\to }\text{ N}\text{O}{\text{ (g) + H}}_{\text{2}}\text{O (g) }$

Conclusion

Therefore, the unbalanced reaction will have solid ammonium nitrate as the reactant with nitrous oxide gas and water vapor as the products.