marcia is given an incomplete chemical equation that includes the number of nitrogen atoms present in the…

marcia is given an incomplete chemical equation that includes the number of nitrogen atoms present in the products of the reaction. how can she conclude that the reaction started with three nitrogen atoms?

marcia is given an incomplete chemical equation that includes the number of nitrogen atoms present in the products of the reaction. how can she conclude that the reaction started with three nitrogen atoms?

Answer

Explanation:

Step1: Recall law of conservation of mass

In a chemical reaction, the number of atoms of each element is conserved. That is, the total number of atoms of an element in the reactants is equal to the total number of atoms of that element in the products.

Step2: Analyze nitrogen - atom count

Since the number of nitrogen atoms in the products is three, according to the law of conservation of mass, the reaction must have started with three nitrogen atoms.

Answer:

By the law of conservation of mass, which states that the number of atoms of each element is conserved in a chemical reaction, since there are three nitrogen atoms in the products, the reaction started with three nitrogen atoms.