The Ostwald process is used commercially to produce nitric acid, which is, in turn, used in many modern chemical processes.

Question

The Ostwald process is used commercially to produce nitric acid, which is, in turn, used in many modern chemical processes. In the first step of the Ostwald process, ammonia is reacted with oxygen gas to produce nitric oxide and water.What is the maximum mass of H2O that can be produced by combining 70.3 g of each reactant?4NH3(g)+5O2(g)⟶4NO(g)+6H2O(g)

Answer 1

4NH₃(g) + 5O₂(g)⟶ 4NO(g) + 6H₂O(g) ... balanced equation

(1) Find the limiting reactant (moles of each / coefficient in balanced equation)

70.3 g NH₃ x 1 mol NH₃ / 17 g = 4.14 mols NH₃ (÷4 ->1.030

70.3 g O₂ x 1 mol O₂ / 32 g = 2.20 mols (÷5 ->0.44)

O₂ is limiting

Theoretical yield of H₂O:

2.20 mols O₂ x 6 mols H₂O / 5 mols O₂ x 18 g / mol H₂O = 47.5 g H₂O