15 Facts on HCl + NH4NO3: What, How To Balance & FAQs

NH₄NO₃, named ammonium nitrate, is a white crystalline salt, and HCl (hydrochloric acid) is an inorganic acid. Let us examine their reactions thoroughly.

NH₄NO₃ occurs naturally in the mineral gwihabaite and is a highly hygroscopic solid. NH₄NO₃ is soluble in water with a solubility of about 150g per 100 ml of water. HCl is a strong acid with a characteristic pungent smell.

In this article, we will discuss the reaction type, enthalpy, products, and intermolecular forces associated with the reaction HCl + NH₄NO₃.

What is the product of HCl and NH₄NO₃

NH₄Cl (ammonium chloride) and HNO₃ (nitric acid) are the products of the reaction HCl + NH₄NO₃.

HCl + NH₄NO₃ → NH₄Cl + HNO₃

What type of reaction is HCl + NH₄NO₃

HCl + NH₄NO₃ is a double-displacement reaction.

How to balance HCl + NH₄NO₃

The reaction HCl + NH₄NO₃ is balanced using the following steps-

HCl + NH₄NO₃ → NH₄Cl + HNO₃

• The elements present in the species are counted.

Elements present	Reactants side	Products side
H	5	5
N	2	2
O	3	3
Cl	1	1

• The above table shows that the elements are equal in number on both sides.
• Thus, the balanced equation is-

• HCl + NH₄NO₃ → NH₄Cl + HNO₃

HCl + NH₄NO₃ titration

HCl + NH₄NO₃ titration is not possible as HCl cannot be used to titrate against NH₄NO₃ directly as both of them are acidic in nature.

HCl + NH₄NO₃ net ionic equation

The net ionic equation for HCl + NH₄NO₃ is-

H⁺(aq) + Cl^–(aq) + NH₄⁺(aq)+ NO₃^–(aq) → NH₄⁺(aq)+ Cl^–(aq) + H⁺(aq)+ NO₃^–(aq)

Following steps are to be used to derive the net ionic equation.

• The balanced equation is written in the first step.
• HCl + NH₄NO₃ → NH₄Cl + HNO₃
• The physical states of the species involved in the reaction are shown.
• HCl (aq) + NH₄NO₃ (aq) → NH₄Cl (aq) + HNO₃ (aq)
• In the next step, the strong-electrolytes are split into their respective ions.
• H⁺(aq) + Cl^–(aq) + NH₄⁺(aq)+ NO₃^–(aq) → NH₄⁺(aq)+ Cl^–(aq) + H⁺(aq)+ NO₃^–(aq)
• The number of ions are same on either side.
• So the balanced net ionic equation is
•  H⁺(aq) + Cl^–(aq) + NH₄⁺(aq)+ NO₃^–(aq) → NH₄⁺(aq)+ Cl^–(aq) + H⁺(aq)+ NO₃^–(aq)

HCl + NH₄NO₃ conjugate pairs

HCl + NH₄NO₃ will constitute a conjugate pair where,

HCl + NO₃^– = Cl^– + HNO₃

• Cl^– is formed as the conjugate base of the acid, HCl.
• HNO₃ act as the conjugate acid of the base NO₃^– .

HCl and NH₄NO₃ intermolecular forces

Intermolecular forces that are found in the reactive species of the reaction HCl + NH₄NO₃ are-

• London dispersion forces and dipole-dipole interactions exist between the HCl molecules.
• Electrostatic interactions are found in the molecules of NH₄NO₃ as they are ionic in nature.

HCl + NH₄NO₃ reaction enthalpy

HCl + NH₄NO₃ enthalpy of reaction is -122.98 KJ/mol. The reaction enthalpy is calculated by putting the listed values in the formula below

Species involved	Enthalpy in KJ/mol
HCl	-166.7
HNO3	-206.28
NH4Cl	-314
NH4NO3	-230.6

• 4∆H_f^°(reaction) = ∆H_f^°(products) – ∆H_f^°(reactants)
• = -520.28 – (-397.3) KJ/mol
• = -122.98 KJ/mol

Is HCl + NH₄NO₃ a buffer solution

HCl + NH₄NO₃ will not form a buffer solution as the acid (HCl) used in the reaction is a strong acid, whereas a weak acid is required to form a buffer.

Is HCl + NH₄NO₃ a complete reaction

HCl + NH₄NO₃ is a complete reaction as the reactants are used completely to form the products that will not react further.

Is HCl + NH₄NO₃ an exothermic or endothermic reaction

HCl + NH₄NO₃ is an exothermic reaction as the heat is liberated during the reaction and the enthalpy (-122.98 KJ/mol) is also negative for the reaction.

Is HCl + NH₄NO₃ a redox reaction

HCl + NH₄NO₃ is not a redox reaction as the change in oxidation states of the elements is not observed.

Is HCl + NH₄NO₃ a precipitation reaction

HCl + NH₄NO₃ is not a precipitation reaction as the products obtained in the reaction-NH₄Cl and HNO₃ are completely soluble in water.

Is HCl + NH₄NO₃ reversible or irreversible reaction

HCl + NH₄NO₃ is an irreversible reaction as the forward reaction is more feasible as it goes from a highly acidic reactant (HCl) to a weakly acidic product (HNO₃).

Is HCl + NH₄NO₃ displacement reaction

HCl + NH₄NO₃ is a double-displacement reaction where H⁺ displaces ammonium ion (NH₄⁺) from its salt and forms HNO₃ and NH₄⁺ combines with chloride ions to give NH₄Cl.

Conclusion

The reaction is exothermic and irreversible. NH₄NO₃ is widely used as a high-nitrogen fertilizer in the agriculture industry. HCl is majorly used in the refining of metal and has high applications as a precursor in synthetic chemistry.