I heated up Magnessium in a crucible, and I think it produced MgO.
then after it cooled I added a few drops of water and it produced NH3. (I could tell by the smell.)
How/ why did it turn into NH3?
what is the equation?
MgO + H2O ----> NH3????
It doesnt make sence..... where did the Mg go, and where did the Nitrogen and hydrogen come from???
2007-03-03 23:59:55 · 1 answers · asked by Samantha C 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
(( I accidently messed up the title, lol. The "smell" part isnt supposed to be there. Sorry ))
2007-03-04 00:01:21 · update #1
This is quite simple. You were right in that you noticed the smell of ammonia. Oxygen is not the only gas that white hot magensium can react with:
3Mg + N2 ---> Mg3N2 (magnesium nitride).
When you added water, magnesium hydroxide and ammonia were produced:
Mg3N2 + 6H2O -----> 2NH3 + 3Mg(OH)2
2007-03-04 00:39:19 · answer #1 · answered by Gervald F 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋