What does one molecule of ammonium nitrite contain?

Answer 1

In chemistry and physics, a mole is an amount of a substance equal to its molecular weight in grams.

For example, oxygen has an atomic weight of 16.

Hydrogen has an atomic weight of 1.

A molecule of water, H2O, has two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen.

So its molecular weight is 1+1+16=18. So a mole of water weighs 18 grams.

(And since 1 cubic centimeter of water weighs 1 gram, a mole of water would be 18 cubic centimeters.)

A mole of ammonium nitrate, NH4NO2, weighs 34 grams. (14+1+1+1+1+14+16+16=34)

Other useful facts about moles of gases:

The atoms of many gases travel around in pairs. That is, each molecule contains 2 atoms.

The hydrogen molecule is H2; the oxygen molecule is O2; and the nitrogen molecule is N2.

So a mole of hydrogen gas is 2 grams; a mole of oxygen gas is 32 grams; and a mole of nitrogen gas (atomic weight 14) is 28 grams.

It so happens that all gases at the same temperature and pressure contain the same number of molecules.

If we take a mole of any gas at normal temperature and pressure, we find that it occupies 22.4 liters of space.

So, 22.4 liters of hydrogen is one mole and it weighs 2 grams.

And 22.4 liters of oxygen is one mole and it weighs 32 grams.

And 22.4 liters of nitrogen is one mole and it weighs 28 grams.

Air is a mixture of 80% nitrogen molecules and 20% oxygen molecules.

22.4 liters of air is one mole and it weighs 29 grams.

Now you can see why a hydrogen balloon will rise in air.

Each mole of hydrogen in the balloon weighs only 2 grams, while each mole of the surrounding air weighs 32 grams.

Now you can calculate how big a balloon you would need to fly.

Some more common gases:

Carbon has an atomic weight of 12, chlorine of 35, and fluorine of 19.

A mole of carbon monoxide, CO, weighs 28 grams. (12+16=28)

This is very close to the weight of air, so this poisonous gas tends to hang around where it is released.

A mole of carbon dioxide, CO2, weighs 44 grams. (12+16+16=44)

This is much heavier than air, and, while it is not poisonous, it often accumulates in low spots like abandoned wells and cisterns, pushing out all of the air.

A mole of methane, CH4, weighs 16 grams. (12+1+1+1+1=16)

Notice that it, like water vapor (18), is lighter than air and will rise.

A mole of Freon 12 (used in car air conditioners), CCl2F2, weighs 120 grams. (12+35+35+19+19=120).

This is so much heavier than air that it is unlikely that any significant amount could ever reach the altitude of the ozone layer.