To determine the number of hydrogen atoms in one formula unit of ammonium nitrate, [tex]\(\text{NH}_4\text{NO}_3\)[/tex], we need to break down the chemical formula and identify the hydrogen components.
Ammonium nitrate consists of two ions:
1. The ammonium ion, [tex]\(\text{NH}_4^+\)[/tex]
2. The nitrate ion, [tex]\(\text{NO}_3^-\)[/tex]
The ammonium ion, [tex]\(\text{NH}_4^+\)[/tex], contains:
- 1 nitrogen atom (N)
- 4 hydrogen atoms (H)
On the other hand, the nitrate ion, [tex]\(\text{NO}_3^-\)[/tex], does not contain any hydrogen atoms. It consists of only:
- 1 nitrogen atom (N)
- 3 oxygen atoms (O)
Since we are interested in the number of hydrogen atoms, we focus on the [tex]\(\text{NH}_4^+\)[/tex] component. As identified, this component contains 4 hydrogen atoms.
Therefore, in one formula unit of ammonium nitrate ([tex]\(\text{NH}_4\text{NO}_3\)[/tex]), there are [tex]\(\boxed{4}\)[/tex] hydrogen atoms.
Thus, the correct answer is:
A. 4 atoms.
