Size of product given size of reactant?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a chemistry assignment focused on stoichiometry, specifically calculating the moles and grams of products formed from given reactants in a balanced chemical equation. Participants explore the concepts of chemical reactions, stoichiometric relationships, and the meanings of state symbols in chemical equations.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses confusion about how to approach the stoichiometry problem involving the reaction NH3(g) + HCl(g) → NH4Cl(s).
  • Another participant questions the lack of instruction on stoichiometry and suggests reviewing how to read chemical reaction equations.
  • A participant reiterates the balanced nature of the reaction and attempts to simplify the problem by comparing it to basic arithmetic (1+1=2).
  • There is a discussion about the meanings of the symbols (s) for solid and (g) for gas in the equation, with a clarification provided about other states of matter.
  • One participant explains that to fully react 0.56 mol of ammonia, an equal amount of hydrochloric gas is needed, emphasizing the conservation of mass and the relationship between moles of reactants and products.
  • Another participant uses a metaphor of combining clay balls to illustrate the concept of mass conservation in the reaction.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the stoichiometric relationships in the reaction and the meanings of the state symbols. However, there is disagreement regarding the adequacy of instruction provided by the teacher, with some expressing frustration over the lack of guidance.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention a lack of notes and resources, indicating potential limitations in understanding stoichiometry. The discussion also reflects varying levels of familiarity with the topic among participants.

Rvngizswt
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We have this assignment, but the teacher didn't teach us this at all.

"For each of the following balanced chemical equations, calculate how many moles and how many grams of each product would be produced by the complete conversion of 0.56 mol of the reactant indicated in boldface."

Here is one problem, how do I do it?

NH3(g) + HCl(g) → NH4Cl(s)
 
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Rvngizswt said:
Here is one problem, how do I do it?

NH3(g) + HCl(g) → NH4Cl(s)

The reaction is balanced. The two products become one. How do you solve 1+1? Hint: 1+1=2[/color]
 
Borek said:
I find it hard to believe you were not told anything abut stoichiometry.

If you have nothing in your notes and your textbook, try to start here: how to read chemical reaction equation.

She's a very terrible teacher, and the book is very general. So thanks for the help!

Also, what does the (s) and (g) mean in the equation?
Harrisonized said:
The reaction is balanced. The two products become one. How do you solve 1+1? Hint: 1+1=2[/color]

You didn't read it all, did you?
 
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Rvngizswt said:
Also, what does the (s) and (g) mean in the equation?

(s) for a solid, (g) for a gas. Also (l) for a liquid and (aq) for something dissolved in water.
 
Rvngizswt said:
You didn't read it all, did you?

There's not much to read. Of course I read it all. What did you expect?

You can think of this as pushing two balls of clay into one.

You have 0.56 mol of ammonia gas. It's probably sitting in some flask, and you're pumping in hydrochloric gas from a source. You want to know how much gas to pump in so that you can convert all the molecules to ammonium chloride salt. In other words, all the ammonia molecules in the flask must react with the hydrochloric gas molecules to form the ammonium chloride salt. Therefore, you have to pump in 0.56 mol of hydrochloric gas.

Okay... so how is this useful? The next step is to go find a periodic table. The values in the periodic table are average g/mol values of the elements. Convert all the values to grams to find the masses of each of the chemicals that you're using.

Obviously, since mass is conserved, then the mass of the NH4Cl salt is the combined mass of the NH3 and HCl gasses. However, you still end up with the same number of mols of NH4Cl as each of the reactants. When you push two balls of clay into one, the one clay ball will have twice the mass, but regardless, it's still one clay ball.
 
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