To determine which chemical equation correctly represents the formation of ammonia from hydrogen and nitrogen, we need to ensure that the equation is balanced according to the law of conservation of mass. This means the number of atoms for each element must be the same on both sides of the equation.
Let's examine each option to determine which one is correct:
Option A: [tex]\(3 H_2 + N_2 \rightarrow NH_3\)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- [tex]\(3 H_2\)[/tex]: This gives a total of [tex]\(6\)[/tex] hydrogen atoms.
- [tex]\(N_2\)[/tex]: This gives a total of [tex]\(2\)[/tex] nitrogen atoms.
- Products:
- [tex]\(NH_3\)[/tex]: There's only one molecule of [tex]\(NH_3\)[/tex] on the product side, which means [tex]\(3\)[/tex] hydrogen atoms and [tex]\(1\)[/tex] nitrogen atom.
Since the number of hydrogen and nitrogen atoms on both sides doesn't match, this equation is not balanced.
Option B: [tex]\(H_2 + N_2 \rightarrow 2 NH_3\)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- [tex]\(H_2\)[/tex]: This gives a total of [tex]\(2\)[/tex] hydrogen atoms.
- [tex]\(N_2\)[/tex]: This gives a total of [tex]\(2\)[/tex] nitrogen atoms.
- Products:
- [tex]\(2 NH_3\)[/tex]: This means there are [tex]\(2 \times 3 = 6\)[/tex] hydrogen atoms and [tex]\(2 \times 1 = 2\)[/tex] nitrogen atoms.
While the nitrogen atoms balance (2 on both sides), the hydrogen atoms do not balance (2 on the reactant side, 6 on the product side). Thus, this equation is also not balanced.
Option C: [tex]\(H_2 + N_2 \rightarrow NH_3\)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- [tex]\(H_2\)[/tex]: This gives a total of [tex]\(2\)[/tex] hydrogen atoms.
- [tex]\(N_2\)[/tex]: This gives a total of [tex]\(2\)[/tex] nitrogen atoms.
- Products:
- [tex]\(NH_3\)[/tex]: [tex]\(NH_3\)[/tex] has [tex]\(3\)[/tex] hydrogen atoms and [tex]\(1\)[/tex] nitrogen atom per molecule.
The hydrogen and nitrogen atoms on both sides of the equation do not balance, so this equation is incorrect.
Option D: [tex]\(3 H_2 + N_2 \rightarrow 2 NH_3\)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- [tex]\(3 H_2\)[/tex]: This gives a total of [tex]\(3 \times 2 = 6\)[/tex] hydrogen atoms.
- [tex]\(N_2\)[/tex]: This gives a total of [tex]\(2\)[/tex] nitrogen atoms.
- Products:
- [tex]\(2 NH_3\)[/tex]: This gives a total of [tex]\(2 \times 3 = 6\)[/tex] hydrogen atoms and [tex]\(2 \times 1 = 2\)[/tex] nitrogen atoms.
In this case, both hydrogen and nitrogen atoms balance perfectly on both sides of the equation:
- [tex]\(6\)[/tex] hydrogen atoms on both sides.
- [tex]\(2\)[/tex] nitrogen atoms on both sides.
Therefore, the correct balanced equation that represents the formation of ammonia from hydrogen and nitrogen is:
[tex]\(3 H_2 + N_2 \rightarrow 2 NH_3\)[/tex]
Thus, the correct option is Option D.
