Enzymes in plants convert nitrate into ammonia. The unbalanced half-reaction equation is given below. What is the stoichiometric coefficient of the electrons, e^-, in the balanced reaction equation?
NO₃^-(aq) + H₂O(l) + e^- $\rarr$ NO₂^-(aq) + OH^-(aq)

Question

Enzymes in plants convert nitrate into ammonia. The unbalanced half-reaction equation is given below. What is the stoichiometric coefficient of the electrons, e^-, in the balanced reaction equation?
NO₃^-(aq) + H₂O(l) + e^-

\rarr

NO₂^-(aq) + OH^-(aq)

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In order to balance the nitrogen atoms, we need to have 2 nitrogen atoms on both the reactant and product side. This means we need a 2 as the stoichiometric coefficient for the nitrate. Since the nitrate is gaining electrons, we must balance this by having 2 electrons on the reactant side. Therefore, the stoichiometric coefficient of the electrons is 2.

Enzymes in Plants Convert Nitrate into Ammonia →\rarr→ NO2-(aq) + OH-(aq) A) 1 B) 2 C) 3 D)

Enzymes in Plants Convert Nitrate into Ammonia $\rarr$ NO₂^-(aq) + OH^-(aq)
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D)