High School

How to calculate the charge of nitrogen (N) in AgNO₃ and NaNO₃?

A. Nitrogen (N) has a charge of -3 in both compounds.
B. Nitrogen (N) has a charge of +1 in AgNO₃ and -1 in NaNO₃.
C. Nitrogen (N) has a charge of -1 in AgNO₃ and +1 in NaNO₃.
D. Nitrogen (N) has a charge of +3 in both compounds.

Answer :

Final answer:

The nitrogen (N) has a charge of -1 in AgNO₃ (silver nitrate) and a charge of +1 in NaNO₃ (sodium nitrate), hence the correct answer is c. ( N ) has a charge of -1 in AgNO₃ and +1 in NaNO₃.

Explanation:

The charges for nitrogen (N) in AgNO₃ (silver nitrate) and NaNO₃ (sodium nitrate) can be determined by considering the charges of the other ions present in the compounds.

In both compounds, NO₃ is the nitrate ion, which has a charge of -1.

For AgNO₃:

The charge of Ag (silver) ion can be determined since the overall charge of the compound is zero. Since nitrate has a charge of -1, silver must have a charge of +1 to balance the compound.

Therefore, nitrogen (N) must have a charge that, when combined with three oxygen atoms each with a charge of -2/3, results in a total charge of -1. This leads to nitrogen having a charge of +5/3 or approximately +1.67.

For NaNO₃:

The charge of Na (sodium) ion is +1, and the nitrate ion (NO₃) has a charge of -1. Therefore, nitrogen (N) must have a charge of -1 to balance the compound.