Sure, let's thoughtfully work through the decomposition reaction for ammonia ([tex]\(NH_3\)[/tex]).
When ammonia decomposes, it breaks down into nitrogen ([tex]\(N_2\)[/tex]) and hydrogen ([tex]\(H_2\)[/tex]). This chemical reaction can be represented by a balanced chemical equation.
### Balanced Chemical Equation:
The balanced decomposition of ammonia can be written as:
[tex]\[ 2 NH_3 \rightarrow N_2 + 3 H_2 \][/tex]
### Explanation:
1. Reactants and Products:
- The reactant in this decomposition reaction is ammonia ([tex]\(NH_3\)[/tex]).
- The products are nitrogen gas ([tex]\(N_2\)[/tex]) and hydrogen gas ([tex]\(H_2\)[/tex]).
2. Balancing the Equation:
- For nitrogen:
- There are 2 nitrogen atoms on the reactant side (in 2 molecules of [tex]\(NH_3\)[/tex]).
- There are 2 nitrogen atoms on the product side (in 1 molecule of [tex]\(N_2\)[/tex]).
- For hydrogen:
- There are 6 hydrogen atoms on the reactant side (in 2 molecules of [tex]\(NH_3\)[/tex]).
- There are 6 hydrogen atoms on the product side (in 3 molecules of [tex]\(H_2\)[/tex]).
### Conclusion:
Thus, the balanced equation shows the stoichiometry of the reaction as [tex]\( 2 NH_3 \rightarrow N_2 + 3 H_2 \)[/tex], indicating that two molecules of ammonia decompose to produce one molecule of nitrogen and three molecules of hydrogen gas.
### Answer:
The correct answer is A. Nitrogen and hydrogen.
