How many hydrogen atoms are present in one formula unit of ammonium nitrate?

[tex]\[ \text{NH}_4\text{NO}_3 \][/tex]

A. 3 atoms

B. 4 atoms

C. 2 atoms

D. 1 atom



Answer :

To determine the number of hydrogen atoms in one formula unit of ammonium nitrate (\( \text{NH}_4\text{NO}_3 \)), let's examine the chemical formula in detail.

1. Identify the parts of the chemical formula: Ammonium nitrate is made up of the ammonium ion (\( \text{NH}_4^+ \)) and the nitrate ion (\( \text{NO}_3^- \)).

2. Focus on the ammonium part (\( \text{NH}_4 \)) of the formula since we need to find the number of hydrogen atoms:
- Within the ammonium ion (\( \text{NH}_4 \)), "N" represents one nitrogen atom.
- "H4" indicates that there are 4 hydrogen atoms bound to the nitrogen atom.

3. The nitrate part (\( \text{NO}_3 \)) consists of one nitrogen atom and three oxygen atoms, but it does not contribute any hydrogen atoms.

Since we are only interested in hydrogen atoms, we conclude that:

In one formula unit of ammonium nitrate (\( \text{NH}_4\text{NO}_3 \)), there are 4 hydrogen atoms.

Thus, the correct answer is:
B. 4 atoms

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