To find the number of hydrogen atoms in one molecule of ammonium phosphate [tex]\(\left( NH_4 \right)_3 PO_4\)[/tex], we need to carefully examine the chemical formula.
1. The chemical formula [tex]\(\left( NH_4 \right)_3 PO_4\)[/tex] indicates that there are three ammonium ions ([tex]\( NH_4^+ \)[/tex]) in one molecule of ammonium phosphate.
2. Each ammonium ion ([tex]\( NH_4^+ \)[/tex]) contains 4 hydrogen atoms.
To determine the total number of hydrogen atoms, we perform the following calculation:
- Each [tex]\( NH_4 \)[/tex] ion has 4 hydrogen atoms.
- There are 3 [tex]\( NH_4 \)[/tex] ions in the molecule.
We multiply the number of hydrogen atoms per [tex]\( NH_4 \)[/tex] ion by the number of [tex]\( NH_4 \)[/tex] ions:
[tex]\[ 4 \text{ hydrogen atoms per } NH_4 \text{ ion} \times 3 \text{ } NH_4 \text{ ions} = 12 \text{ hydrogen atoms} \][/tex]
Therefore, there are 12 hydrogen atoms in one molecule of ammonium phosphate.
The correct answer is:
12
