Question

Most fertilizers contain ammonia. Ammonia (NH3) forms when hydrogen reacts with nitrogen. Which balanced equation represents ammonia?
3H2 + N2 → NH3
H2 + N2 → 2NH3
H2 + N2 → NH3
3H2 + N2 → 2NH3

Answer 1

The balanced equation for ammonia (NH3) is 3H2 + N2 ď 2NH3. This equation starts from H2 + N2 ď NH3. We have 1 N and 3 H on the right side (the product side) of the equation, so we multiply each by 2 to get 2 N and 6 H. We do this so that we don’t have an odd number of H atoms. We then balance the left side (the reactant side) of the equation with the right side, N is already balanced, but we have to multiply H by 3 to get 6 H atoms (to match the right side of the equation.