Nitric acid, a major industrial and laboratory acid, is produced commercially by the multistep Ostwald process, which begins with the oxidation of ammonia:
Step 1. 4NH₃(g) + 5O₂(g) → 4NO(g) + 6H₂O(l)
Step 2. 2NO(g) + O₂(g) → 2NO₂(g)
Step 3. 3NO₂(g) + H₂O(l) → 2HNO₃(l) + NO(g)
(b) Assuming 100% yield in each step, what mass (in kg) of ammonia must be used to produce 3.0X10⁴ kg of HNO₃?