Automotive air bags inflate when sodium azide decomposes explosively to its constituent elements: 2NaN₃ (s) → 2Na (s) + 3N₂ (g)
How many grams of sodium azide are required to produce 28.0 g of nitrogen?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the grams of sodium azide required, first calculate the moles of nitrogen produced: 28.0 g N₂ / 28.02 g/mol = 1.0 mol N₂. From the balanced equation, 3 moles of N₂ are produced from 2 moles of NaN₃. Therefore, 1.0 mol N₂ requires (2/3) mol NaN₃ = 0.6667 mol NaN₃. The molar mass of NaN₃ is 65.0 g/mol, so 0.6667 mol NaN₃ x 65.0 g/mol = 43.3 g NaN₃.

Automotive Air Bags Inflate When Sodium Azide Decomposes Explosively to Its