What is the formula for the ionic compound ammonium nitrate? Express your answer as a chemical formula.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The chemical formula for ammonium nitrate is NH₄NO₃.
Explanation:
Ammonium nitrate is an ionic compound composed of two distinct ions: ammonium (NH₄⁺) and nitrate (NO₃⁻).
- Ammonium Ion (NH₄⁺): This ion is a positively charged polyatomic ion consisting of one nitrogen (N) atom covalently bonded to four hydrogen (H) atoms. The nitrogen in the ammonium ion has a formal positive charge, making the overall charge of the ammonium ion +1.
- Nitrate Ion (NO₃⁻): The nitrate ion is a negatively charged polyatomic ion composed of one nitrogen (N) atom centrally bonded to three oxygen (O) atoms. The nitrogen in the nitrate ion has a formal charge of +5, while the oxygen atoms each share a portion of the overall negative charge, leading to a net charge of -1 for the nitrate ion.
When these two ions combine, they form an ionic bond, where the ammonium ion (NH₄⁺) donates its positive charge to balance the negative charge of the nitrate ion (NO₃⁻). Since both ions are charged, the total charge of the compound must be neutral.
To maintain charge neutrality, one ammonium ion (NH₄⁺) combines with one nitrate ion (NO₃⁻), resulting in the compound NH₄NO₃. This is the simplest ratio of ammonium to nitrate in the compound, reflecting a 1:1 ratio of cations to anions.
Ammonium nitrate is commonly used in fertilizers, explosives, and some industrial applications due to its ability to rapidly release nitrogen, which is beneficial for plant growth or its explosive potential when decomposed under certain conditions.