Question

What is the balanced equation for when ammonium carbonate is heated, it decomposes into ammonia gas, carbon dioxide gas, and water vapor?

Answer 1

Hint : Balanced chemical equation: It is the chemical equation in which the number of atoms for each element participating in the reaction equals the number of atoms of elements formed in the product. In a balanced chemical reaction, charge as well as number of atoms should be balanced within both reactant and product sides.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
General word reaction is given as follows:
Ammonium carbonate $+$ Heat $\to$ Ammonia gas $+$ Carbon dioxide $+$ Water vapor
Chemical reaction for given word reaction is as follows:
${(N{H_4})_2}C{O_3} \to N{H_3} + C{O_2} + {H_2}O$
To balance a given chemical reaction, certain steps are followed.
Step-1: Identifying the reactants and the products in the chemical reaction-
In the given chemical reaction, reactant is ammonium carbonate i.e., ${(N{H_4})_2}C{O_3}$ and products are Ammonia $(N{H_3})$, carbon dioxide $(C{O_2})$ and water vapor $({H_2}O)$.
Step-2: Counting the number of atoms of each element present in reactant as well as in product.
In reactant,
Number of Nitrogen atoms $= 2$
Number of Hydrogen atoms $= 8$
Number of Carbon atoms $= 1$
Number of Oxygen atoms $= 3$
In product,
Number of Nitrogen atoms $= 1$
Number of Hydrogen atoms $= 5$
Number of Carbon atoms $= 1$
Number of Oxygen atoms $= 3$
Step-3: Adding coefficients accordingly to balance the equation.
$2$ should be added as the coefficient to ammonia to balance nitrogen atoms.
${(N{H_4})_2}C{O_3} \to 2N{H_3} + C{O_2} + {H_2}O$
Checking the number of atoms in order to proceed further.
For the reaction ${(N{H_4})_2}C{O_3} \to 2N{H_3} + C{O_2} + {H_2}O$,
For reactant,
Number of Nitrogen atoms $= 2$
Number of Hydrogen atoms $= 8$
Number of Carbon atoms $= 1$
Number of Oxygen atoms $= 3$
In product,
Number of Nitrogen atoms $= 2$
Number of Hydrogen atoms $= 8$
Number of Carbon atoms $= 1$
Number of Oxygen atoms $= 3$
As the number of atoms of each element in the product is equal to the number of atoms in the reactant. So, the reaction is balanced.
Hence Final balanced reaction is ${(N{H_4})_2}C{O_3} \to 2N{H_3} + C{O_2} + {H_2}O$

Note :
Ensure checking of number of atoms of each element after every step to minimize the chances of error. In some cases, fraction coefficient is also added to the constituents in order to balance the reactions.