What is the chemical equation for the reaction between hydrogen chloride and ammonia?

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The reaction between hydrogen chloride (HCl) and ammonia (NH₃) produces ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl). This process is a classic acid-base reaction where hydrogen chloride, an acid, reacts with ammonia, a base.

In this reaction, HCl donates a proton (H⁺ ion) to the unshared electron pair on the nitrogen atom in ammonia. This leads to the formation of the ammonium ion (NH₄⁺) and chloride ion (Cl⁻). When these ions combine, they form the ionic compound ammonium chloride, which can be represented by the equation HCl + NH₃ → NH₄Cl.

This reaction is also significant in that it is a demonstration of how gases can react to form solids, as ammonium chloride is a solid when formed from the gaseous reactants.

The other answers do not represent the reaction between hydrogen chloride and ammonia accurately; instead, they depict different reactions entirely. Understanding the context and chemistry behind the formation of NH₄Cl is crucial to grasping acid-base reactions in chemistry.

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