Verified Answer :

  • The reaction between ammonium hydroxide (\(NH_4OH\)) and nitric acid (\(HNO_3\)) is a neutralization reaction.
  • The ammonium ion (\(NH_4^+\)) from the base and the nitrate ion (\(NO_3^-\)) from the acid combine in a 1:1 ratio.
  • The resulting salt is ammonium nitrate (\(NH_4NO_3\)).
  • The correct option is \(\boxed{NH_4NO_3}\).

Explanation

  1. Analyzing the Neutralization Reaction

The reaction involves ammonium hydroxide (\(NH_4OH\)), which acts as a base, and nitric acid (\(HNO_3\)), which acts as an acid. This is a classic acid-base neutralization reaction, which generally follows the formula:
\[\text{Acid} + \text{Base} \rightarrow \text{Salt} + \text{Water}\]
To determine the salt formed, we identify the components contributed by each reactant. The base \(NH_4OH\) provides the ammonium cation (\(NH_4^+\)), and the acid \(HNO_3\) provides the nitrate anion (\(NO_3^-\)). During the neutralization process, the cation from the base combines with the anion from the acid to form the salt. Since both the ammonium ion (\(NH_4^+\)) and the nitrate ion (\(NO_3^-\)) have a charge magnitude of 1, they combine in a 1:1 ratio to form the stable ionic compound ammonium nitrate, denoted as \(NH_4NO_3\). Therefore, the products of the reaction are water (\(H_2O\)) and ammonium nitrate (\(NH_4NO_3\)). The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is:
\[NH_4OH(aq) + HNO_3(aq) \rightarrow NH_4NO_3(aq) + H_2O(l)\]

Examples

Acid-base neutralization is vital in many real-world applications, such as agriculture and environmental protection. For example, ammonium nitrate is a widely used nitrogen-based fertilizer that provides essential nutrients for plant growth. By understanding how to neutralize nitric acid with a base like ammonium hydroxide, farmers and chemical manufacturers can produce the fertilizer required for healthy crop development efficiently and safely.