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Chapter 22: Problem 77

Without doing detailed calculations, explain in which of the following materials you would expect to find the greatest mass percent of hydrogen: seawater, the atmosphere, natural gas \(\left(\mathrm{CH}_{4}\right),\) ammonia.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Out of the given options, one would expect to find the greatest mass percent of hydrogen in ammonia

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Elements

Before proceeding, it is important to understand that natural gas is mostly composed of methane, which has a chemical formula of CH4, meaning it contains four hydrogen atoms. Ammonia, on the other hand, has the chemical formula NH3, containing three hydrogen atoms. Seawater contains various salts but the majority of it is H2O, hence with two hydrogen atoms. Atmosphere consists mainly of nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2), with only trace amounts of other gasses, so it has very little hydrogen.
02

Hydrogen in Seawater

Seawater contains a large quantity of water molecules, each containing two hydrogen atoms. However, water only accounts for about 96.5% of seawater and the remainder is mostly salts, which contain no hydrogen.
03

Hydrogen in the Atmosphere

The atmosphere does contain some hydrogen, but not a lot. This is because hydrogen, being the lightest element, can easily escape Earth's gravitational pull and float out into space. So, the atmosphere is not particularly rich in hydrogen.
04

Hydrogen in Natural Gas

Natural gas (methane) contains a significant amount of hydrogen. In fact, hydrogen makes up 25% of the atoms in methane. This makes natural gas one of the richer sources of hydrogen among the materials being considered.
05

Hydrogen in Ammonia

Ammonia has one nitrogen atom and three hydrogen atoms. Considering the atomic masses of nitrogen (14 amu) and hydrogen (1 amu), it can be stated that ammonia consists of 18% nitrogen and 82% hydrogen, making it the richest source of hydrogen among the materials listed here.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Each of the following compounds produces \(\mathrm{O}_{2}(\mathrm{g})\) when strongly heated: (a) \(\mathrm{HgO}(\mathrm{s}) ;\) (b) \(\mathrm{KClO}_{4}(\mathrm{s})\) (c) \(\mathrm{Hg}\left(\mathrm{NO}_{3}\right)_{2}(\mathrm{s}) ;\) (d) \(\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{2}(\mathrm{aq}) .\) Write a plausible equation for the reaction that occurs in each instance.

The oxides of the selenium(IV) and tellurium(IV) are \(\mathrm{SeO}_{2}\) and \(\mathrm{TeO}_{2} .\) One of these oxides is amphoteric and one is acidic. Which is which?

Write a chemical equation for the hydrolysis in alkaline solution of \(\mathrm{XeF}_{6}\) that yields \(\mathrm{XeO}_{6}^{4-}, \mathrm{Xe}, \mathrm{O}_{2}, \mathrm{F}^{-}\) and \(\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}\) as products.

What is the oxidation state of sulfur in the following compounds? (a) \(\mathrm{S}_{2} \mathrm{Br}_{2}\) (b) \(\mathrm{SCl}_{2}\) (c) \(\mathrm{Na}_{2} \mathrm{S}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) (d) \(\left(\mathrm{NH}_{4}\right)_{2} \mathrm{S}_{4} \mathrm{O}_{6}\).

Write equations to show how to prepare \(\mathrm{H}_{2}(\mathrm{g})\) from each of the following substances: \((a) \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O} ;\) (b) \(\mathrm{HI}(\mathrm{aq})\) (c) \(\mathrm{Mg}(\mathrm{s}) ;\) (d) \(\mathrm{CO}(\mathrm{g})\). Use other common laboratory reactants as necessary, that is, water, acids or bases, metals, and so on.
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