Laughing gas (nitrous oxide, n2o) is sometimes used as an anesthetic in dentistry. it is produced when ammonium nitrate is decomposed according to the reaction nh4no3(s) −→ n2o(g) + 2 h2o(ℓ). how much nh4no3 is required to produce 47.1 g of n2o? answer in units of g.

            85.63 g of NH₄NO₃ is required.

Solution:

The balanced chemical equation is as follow,

                                     NH₄NO₃    →    N₂O + 2 H₂O

According to equation,

           44 g (1 mole) N₂O is produced by  =  80 g (1 mole) of NH₄NO₃
So,
           47.1 g of N₂O will be produced by  =  X g of NH₄NO₃

Solving for X,
                      X  =  (80 g × 47.1 g) ÷ 44 g

                      X  =  85.63 g of NH₄NO₃