Question

in the atmosphere, nitric oxide forms when a lightning strike causes nitrogen gas to react with oxygen gas. consider the following reaction: 6 molecules of nitrogen (n₂) react with 6 molecules of oxygen (o₂) to produce some amount of nitric oxide (no). complete the table below. chemical element number of atoms in the reaction n o during this reaction, how many molecules of nitric oxide (no) are produced?

Explanation:

Part 1: Number of N atoms

Step1: Calculate N atoms from \( N_2 \)

Each \( N_2 \) molecule has 2 N atoms. There are 6 \( N_2 \) molecules. So, number of N atoms = \( 6 \times 2 = 12 \).

Step2: No other source of N, so total N atoms = 12.

Part 2: Number of O atoms

Step1: Calculate O atoms from \( O_2 \)

Each \( O_2 \) molecule has 2 O atoms. There are 6 \( O_2 \) molecules. So, number of O atoms = \( 6 \times 2 = 12 \).

Step2: No other source of O, so total O atoms = 12.

Part 3: Molecules of NO produced

Step1: Write the balanced reaction

The reaction is \( N_2 + O_2
ightarrow 2NO \) (balanced, as 1 \( N_2 \) and 1 \( O_2 \) produce 2 NO).

Step2: Determine moles ratio for 6 \( N_2 \) and 6 \( O_2 \)

From the balanced equation, 1 \( N_2 \) reacts with 1 \( O_2 \) to produce 2 NO. So, 6 \( N_2 \) (and 6 \( O_2 \), since ratio is 1:1) will produce \( 6 \times 2 = 12 \) NO molecules.

Table Completion:

Chemical element	Number of atoms in the reaction
O	12

Molecules of NO:

Answer:

For N atoms: 12
For O atoms: 12
Molecules of NO: 12