Question

Baking ammonia or ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3) is a leavening agent used in some older recipes. As it is heated it breaks down into three gases: ammonia(NH3), water(H20), and carbon dioxide(CO2). For each 20 g of baking ammonia heated (about 4 tsp), how many grams of CO2 are produced?

Answer 1

For every 20 g of baking ammonia heated, approximately 11.14 g of carbon dioxide (CO2) are produced through the thermal decomposition reaction.

Step-by-step explanation:

When baking ammonia or ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3) is heated, it decomposes to produce ammonia (NH3), water (H2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2). To determine the amount of CO2 produced from 20 g of baking ammonia, we can use stoichiometry based on the equation of the reaction:

NH4HCO3 (s) → NH3 (g) + H2O (g) + CO2 (g)

The molar mass of NH4HCO3 is 79.06 g/mol, and the molar mass of CO2 is 44.01 g/mol. Since the reaction is a 1:1 molar ratio, we can calculate the mass of CO2 produced by converting the mass of baking ammonia to moles and then using the molar mass of CO2 to find the mass of CO2 produced:

(20 g NH4HCO3) / (79.06 g/mol NH4HCO3) = 0.253 mol NH4HCO3

0.253 mol NH4HCO3 × (44.01 g/mol CO2) = 11.14 g CO2

Therefore, for every 20 g of baking ammonia heated, approximately 11.14 g of CO2 are produced.