An industrial sequence converts nitrogen in ammonia to nitrates for fertilizer…

CHEMISTRY · Multi-part · CBSE · Chemistry · Redox Reactions · Redox Reactions

Problem

An industrial sequence converts nitrogen in ammonia to nitrates for fertilizer production by the following steps: Step 1: NH3(g)+O2(g)→NO(g)+H2O(g)\text{NH}_3(g)+\text{O}_2(g)\rightarrow\text{NO}(g)+\text{H}_2\text{O}(g) Step 2: NO(g)+O2(g)→NO2(g)\text{NO}(g)+\text{O}_2(g)\rightarrow\text{NO}_2(g) Step 3: NO2(g)+H2O(l)→HNO3(aq)+NO(g)\text{NO}_2(g)+\text{H}_2\text{O}(l)\rightarrow\text{HNO}_3(aq)+\text{NO}(g) (The equations shown are not balanced.) (a) For each nitrogen-containing species (NH3\text{NH}_3, NO\text{NO}, NO2\text{NO}_2, HNO3\text{HNO}_3), determine the oxidation number of nitrogen. Provide clear justification for each value. (b) Using the oxidation numbers from part (a), identify in which step(s) nitrogen is oxidized, reduced, or neither. Explain your reasoning. (c) Calculate the net change in oxidation number per mole of nitrogen atoms from NH3\text{NH}_3 to HNO3\text{HNO}_3 through the overall sequence (Steps 1-3 combined). State the total number of electrons lost or gained per mole of nitrogen in this transformation. (d) Discuss how the regeneration of NO\text{NO} in Step 3 influences the overall redox balance of the industrial process, with particular attention to electron bookkeeping and the sustainability of the catalytic cycle.

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