Word equation
ammonia + water → ammonium hydroxide
Input interpretation
NH3 + H2O → NH4OH
Ammonia water ammonium hydroxide
Balanced equation
Balance the chemical equation algebraically:
NH3 + H2O → NH4OH
Add stoichiometric coefficients, c, to the reactants and products:
c1NH3 + c2H2O → c3 NH4OH
Set the number of atoms in the reactants equal to the number of atoms in the products for H, N and O:
H: 3c1+ 2c2 = 5c3
N: c1 = c3
O: c2 = c3
Since the coefficients are relative quantities and underdetermined, choose a coefficient to set arbitrarily. To keep the coefficients small, the arbitrary value is ordinarily one. For instance, set c1 = 1 and solve the system of equations for the remaining coefficients:
c1 = 1 c2=1
c3=1
Substitute the coefficients into the chemical reaction to obtain the balanced
equation:
Answer:
NH3 + H2O → NH4OH
