Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 13: Problem 79

Old-fashioned "smelling salts" consist of ammonium carbonate, (NH $_{4} )_{2} \mathrm{CO}_{3}$ . The reaction for the decomposition of ammonium carbonate $$\left(\mathrm{NH}_{4}\right)_{2} \mathrm{CO}_{3}(s) \rightleftharpoons 2 \mathrm{NH}_{3}(g)+\mathrm{CO}_{2}(g)+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}(g)$$ is endothermic. Would the smell of ammonia increase or decrease as the temperature is increased?

Short Answer

Expert verified
As the temperature increases, the smell of ammonia will increase, as more ammonia gas is produced due to the shift in equilibrium in the endothermic decomposition reaction of ammonium carbonate.

Step by step solution

01

Identify the reaction type and balance it

First, we need to make sure the decomposition reaction of ammonium carbonate is balanced. For this reaction, the balanced equation is already given: \(\left(\mathrm{NH}_{4}\right)_{2} \mathrm{CO}_{3}(s) \rightleftharpoons 2 \mathrm{NH}_{3}(g)+\mathrm{CO}_{2}(g)+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}(g)\) This reaction is endothermic, indicated by the problem statement.
02

Apply Le Chatelier's principle

When the temperature of an endothermic reaction increases, the equilibrium will shift towards the products side to absorb the added heat. In this case, increasing the temperature of the reaction will cause the equilibrium to shift towards the right, favoring the formation of more ammonia gas, carbon dioxide gas, and water vapor.
03

Analyze ammonia smell

As the equilibrium shifts towards the right with an increase in temperature, more ammonia gas will be produced. Because ammonia has a strong smell, an increase in ammonia gas production will make its smell more noticeable.
04

Conclusion

As the temperature increases, the smell of ammonia will increase, as more ammonia gas is produced due to the shift in equilibrium in the endothermic decomposition reaction of ammonium carbonate.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

A sample of iron(II) sulfate was heated in an evacuated container to 920 K, where the following reactions occurred: $$\begin{array}{c}{2 \mathrm{FeSO}_{4}(s) \Longrightarrow \mathrm{Fe}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}(s)+\mathrm{SO}_{3}(g)+\mathrm{SO}_{2}(g)} \\\ {\mathrm{SO}_{3}(g) \rightleftharpoons \mathrm{SO}_{2}(g)+\frac{1}{2} \mathrm{O}_{2}(g)}\end{array}$$ After equilibrium was reached, the total pressure was 0.836 atm and the partial pressure of oxygen was 0.0275 atm. Calculate \(K_{\mathrm{p}}\) for each of these reactions.

Ethyl acetate is synthesized in a nonreacting solvent (not water) according to the following reaction: $$\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{H}+\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{OH} \rightleftharpoons \mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5}+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O} \quad K=2.2$$ For the following mixtures (a-d), will the concentration of $\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}$ increase, decrease, or remain the same as equilibrium is established? a. $\left[\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5}\right]=0.22 M,\left[\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}\right]=0.10 M$ $\quad\left[\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{H}\right]=0.010 M,\left[\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{OH}\right]=0.010 M$ b. $\left[\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5}\right]=0.22 M,\left[\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}\right]=0.0020 M$ $\quad\left[\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{H}\right]=0.0020 M,\left[\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{OH}\right]=0.10 M$ c. $\left[\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5}\right]=0.88 M,\left[\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}\right]=0.12 M$ $\quad\left[\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{H}\right]=0.044 M,\left[\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{OH}\right]=6.0 M$ d. $\left[\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5}\right]=4.4 M,\left[\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}\right]=4.4 M$ $\quad\left[\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{H}\right]=0.88 M,\left[\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{OH}\right]=10.0 M$ e. What must the concentration of water be for a mixture with $\left[\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5}\right]=2.0 M,\left[\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CO}_{2} \mathrm{H}\right]=0.10 M,$ and \(\left[\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{OH}\right]=5.0 M\) to be at equilibrium? f. Why is water included in the equilibrium expression for this reaction?

For the following endothermic reaction at equilibrium: $$2 \mathrm{SO}_{3}(g) \rightleftharpoons 2 \mathrm{SO}_{2}(g)+\mathrm{O}_{2}(g)$$ which of the following changes will increase the value of \(K ?\) a. increasing the temperature b. decreasing the temperature c. removing \(\mathrm{SO}_{3}(g)\) (constant \(T )\) d. decreasing the volume (constant \(T )\) e. adding \(\operatorname{Ne}(g)(\text { constant } T)\) f. adding \(\mathrm{SO}_{2}(g)(\text { constant } T)\) g. adding a catalyst (constant T)

Write the equilibrium expression (K) for each of the following gas-phase reactions. a. \(N_{2}(g)+\mathrm{O}_{2}(g) \rightleftharpoons 2 \mathrm{NO}(g)\) b. \(\mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{4}(g) \rightleftharpoons 2 \mathrm{NO}_{2}(g)\) c. $\operatorname{SiH}_{4}(g)+2 \mathrm{Cl}_{2}(g) \rightleftharpoons \operatorname{SiCl}_{4}(g)+2 \mathrm{H}_{2}(g)$ d. $2 \mathrm{PBr}_{3}(g)+3 \mathrm{Cl}_{2}(g) \rightleftharpoons 2 \mathrm{PCl}_{3}(g)+3 \mathrm{Br}_{2}(g)$

An important reaction in the commercial production of hydrogen is $$\mathrm{CO}(g)+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}(g) \rightleftharpoons \mathrm{H}_{2}(g)+\mathrm{CO}_{2}(g)$$ How will this system at equilibrium shift in each of the five following cases? a. Gaseous carbon dioxide is removed. b. Water vapor is added. c. In a rigid reaction container, the pressure is increased by adding helium gas. d. The temperature is increased (the reaction is exothermic). e. The pressure is increased by decreasing the volume of the reaction container.
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Chemistry Textbooks

Physical Chemistry

Read Explanation

Chemistry Branches

Read Explanation

Inorganic Chemistry

Read Explanation

Making Measurements

Read Explanation

Nuclear Chemistry

Read Explanation

Ionic and Molecular Compounds

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free