Question

in the atmosphere, nitric oxide forms when a lightning strike causes nitrogen gas to react with oxygen gas.
consider the following reaction:
1 molecule of nitrogen (n₂) reacts with 1 molecule of oxygen (o₂) to produce some amount of nitric oxide (no).
to find the amount of nitric oxide produced, first determine the number of each type of atom in the products.
hint: during a chemical reaction, atoms are not created, destroyed, or changed from one chemical element to another.

chemical element	number of atoms in reactants	number of atoms in products
o	2

Explanation:

Step1: Apply law of conservation of mass

According to the law of conservation of mass, the number of atoms of each element in the reactants is equal to the number of atoms of that element in the products.

Step2: Determine number of N atoms in products

Since there are 2 nitrogen atoms in the reactants (1 molecule of $N_2$), the number of nitrogen atoms in the products is 2.

Step3: Determine number of O atoms in products

Since there are 2 oxygen atoms in the reactants (1 molecule of $O_2$), the number of oxygen atoms in the products is 2.

Answer:

N: 2
O: 2