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Ch.4 - Reactions in Aqueous Solution
Chapter 4, Problem 96c

The commercial production of nitric acid involves the following chemical reactions:
4 NH3(g) + 5 O2(g) → 4 NO(g) + 6 H2O(g)
2 NO(g) + O2(g) → 2 NO2(g)
3 NO2(g) + H2O(l) → 2 HNO3(aq) + NO(g)
(c) How many grams of ammonia must you start with to make 1000.0 L of a 0.150 M aqueous solution of nitric acid? Assume all the reactions give 100% yield.

Verified step by step guidance
1
Step 1: Calculate the moles of nitric acid (HNO3) needed using the molarity formula: \( \text{Molarity} = \frac{\text{moles of solute}}{\text{volume of solution in liters}} \). Given that the volume is 1000.0 L and the molarity is 0.150 M, calculate the moles of HNO3.
Step 2: Use the stoichiometry of the third reaction to find the moles of NO2 required to produce the calculated moles of HNO3. The balanced equation shows that 3 moles of NO2 produce 2 moles of HNO3.
Step 3: Use the stoichiometry of the second reaction to find the moles of NO required to produce the calculated moles of NO2. The balanced equation shows that 2 moles of NO react with 1 mole of O2 to produce 2 moles of NO2.
Step 4: Use the stoichiometry of the first reaction to find the moles of NH3 required to produce the calculated moles of NO. The balanced equation shows that 4 moles of NH3 react with 5 moles of O2 to produce 4 moles of NO.
Step 5: Convert the moles of NH3 to grams using the molar mass of NH3 (17.03 g/mol). Multiply the moles of NH3 by its molar mass to find the mass in grams.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry is the calculation of reactants and products in chemical reactions based on the balanced chemical equations. It allows us to determine the relationships between the quantities of substances involved in a reaction. In this case, stoichiometry will help us find out how much ammonia is needed to produce a specific volume and concentration of nitric acid.
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Molarity

Molarity (M) is a measure of concentration defined as the number of moles of solute per liter of solution. It is crucial for understanding how much of a substance is present in a given volume of solution. In this question, the target concentration of 0.150 M for nitric acid will guide the calculations to determine the required amount of ammonia.
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Limiting Reactant

The limiting reactant is the substance that is completely consumed first in a chemical reaction, thus determining the maximum amount of product that can be formed. Identifying the limiting reactant is essential in stoichiometric calculations, as it affects how much of the other reactants are needed. In this scenario, understanding which reactant limits the production of nitric acid will be key to solving the problem.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Antacids are often used to relieve pain and promote healing in the treatment of mild ulcers. Write balanced net ionic equations for the reactions between the aqueous HCl in the stomach and each of the following substances used in various antacids: (a) Al(OH)3(s) (b) Mg(OH)2(s) (c) MgCO3(s) (d) NaAl(CO3)(OH)2(s) (e) CaCO3(s).

Textbook Question

The commercial production of nitric acid involves the following chemical reactions:

4 NH3(g) + 5 O2(g) → 4 NO(g) + 6 H2O(g)

2 NO(g) + O2(g) → 2 NO2(g)

3 NO2(g) + H2O(l) → 2 HNO3(aq) + NO(g)

(a) Which of these reactions are redox reactions?

Textbook Question

The commercial production of nitric acid involves the following chemical reactions:

4 NH3(g) + 5 O2(g) → 4 NO(g) + 6 H2O(g)

2 NO(g) + O2(g) → 2 NO2(g)

3 NO2(g) + H2O(l) → 2 HNO3(aq) + NO(g)

(b) Identify the element undergoing oxidation and the element undergoing reduction.

Textbook Question

Consider the following reagents: zinc, copper, mercury (density 13.6 g/mL), silver nitrate solution, nitric acid solution. (a) Given a 500-mL Erlenmeyer flask and a balloon, can you combine two or more of the foregoing reagents to initiate a chemical reaction that will inflate the balloon? Write a balanced chemical equation to represent this process. What is the identity of the substance that inflates the balloon?

Textbook Question

Bronze is a solid solution of Cu(s) and Sn(s); solutions of metals like this that are solids are called alloys. There is a range of compositions over which the solution is considered a bronze. Bronzes are stronger and harder than either copper or tin alone. (b) Based on part (a), calculate the concentration of the solute metal in the alloy in units of molarity, assuming a density of 7.9 g/cm3.