Under certain conditions, nitrogen gas reacts with oxygen gas to form nitrogen monoxide gas.
How many
total electrons are transferred for each molecule of nitrogen or oxygen?
For N2(g) + O2(2) => 2NO(g) Each of 2 nitrogen atoms lose 2 electrons while each of 2 oxygen atoms gain 2 electrons. Total electrons transferred = 4 moles electrons.
N2 => 2(2e^- lost) = 4 e^- oxidation
O2 => 2(2e^- gain) = 4 e^- reduction
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In the reaction where nitrogen gas reacts with oxygen gas to form nitrogen monoxide gas, a total of two electrons are transferred for each molecule of nitrogen and oxygen.
The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is:
N2(g) + O2(g) -> 2NO(g)
In this reaction, a nitrogen molecule (N2) gains two electrons to form two nitrogen monoxide molecules (2NO). Similarly, an oxygen molecule (O2) loses four electrons to form two nitrogen monoxide molecules (2NO).
So, for each molecule of nitrogen or oxygen, two electrons are transferred.
To determine the number of electrons transferred during the reaction between nitrogen gas (N₂) and oxygen gas (O₂) to form nitrogen monoxide gas (NO), we need to examine the electron configuration of each element.
Nitrogen has 7 electrons, and two nitrogen atoms are involved in the reaction, so there are a total of 14 electrons in the nitrogen gas molecule (N₂).
Oxygen has 8 electrons, and two oxygen atoms are involved in the reaction, so there are a total of 16 electrons in the oxygen gas molecule (O₂).
In the nitrogen monoxide molecule (NO), nitrogen and oxygen share a covalent bond, forming a doublet structure. Oxygen usually has 6 valence electrons, but in this case, it gains an electron from nitrogen to complete its octet. Therefore, nitrogen donates an electron to oxygen during the reaction.
The reaction can be represented as follows:
N₂ + O₂ → 2NO
For each molecule of nitrogen or oxygen involved in the reaction, one electron is transferred from nitrogen to oxygen. So, a total of two electrons are transferred for each molecule of nitrogen or oxygen.
In summary, for each molecule of nitrogen or oxygen, two electrons are transferred during the reaction with oxygen gas to form nitrogen monoxide gas.