Ammonia gas and hydrogen chloride gas from solid ammonium chloride. NH3(g),HCl(g)

Balanced Equation:

NH3 + HCl = NH4Cl

If you have ever held the bottles of the two reagents next to each other, the fumes form a cloud of NH4Cl in the air.

To write a balanced equation for the reaction in which solid ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) decomposes to form ammonia gas (NH3) and hydrogen chloride gas (HCl), follow these steps:

Step 1: Identify the elements present in each compound:
- Ammonium chloride (NH4Cl):
- Contains nitrogen (N), hydrogen (H), and chlorine (Cl)
- Ammonia (NH3):
- Contains nitrogen (N) and hydrogen (H)
- Hydrogen chloride (HCl):
- Contains hydrogen (H) and chlorine (Cl)

Step 2: Write down the formula for ammonium chloride and break it down into its component ions:
NH4Cl → NH3 + HCl
- The ammonium ion (NH4+) decomposes into ammonia gas (NH3) and hydrogen ions (H+).
- The chloride ion (Cl-) combines with hydrogen ions (H+) to form hydrogen chloride gas (HCl).

Step 3: Balance the equation by ensuring that the number of atoms is the same on both sides of the equation. In this case, the equation is already balanced as it is written.

So, the balanced equation for the reaction is:
NH4Cl(s) → NH3(g) + HCl(g)