Balancing Reaction of Formic Acid and Ammonium Hydroxide

[PCSL]

I'd like to write the chemical equation for the reaction of 1 mole of ammonium hydroxide with .1 mole of formic acid. I understand that NH₄OH is not ammonium hydroxide, and it is more accurate to write NH₃, implying NH₃ (ammonia) + HCO₂H (formic acid) --> NH₄HCO₂ (ammonium formate) but would there also be water produced from the reaction? Also this reaction has a 1:1 mole ratio for the ammonia and formic acid so would I also add a term on the right for excess ammonia that does not react? Thanks for the help - I haven't had a chemistry course in years.

 

[Borek]

implying NH3 (ammonia) + HCO2H (formic acid) --> NH4HCO2 (ammonium formate)

That's a reasonably correct depiction of what is happening. There is no water produced.

would I also add a term on the right for excess ammonia that does not react?

No. Google limiting reagent.

 

[PCSL]

No. Google limiting reagent.

Perfect - so I could just write NH₃+.1*HCO₂H --> .1NH₄HCO₂ with .9 moles of ammonia in excess? Thanks.

 

[Borek]

Not exactly. You don't use numbers of moles in the balanced reaction - only stoichiometric coefficients. So your reaction, when balanced, should look like

NH₃ + HCOOH → HCOONH₄

(I am used to a bit different convention for writing carboxylic acids and their salts, nothing wrong with the one you use though).

And then you can describe what is happening in your particular case. Eons ago I was trained to write it below the reaction equation (but formatting such things these days is getting ridiculously time consuming).

And yes, there is 0.9 moles of the ammonia left after the reaction.