Question

According to the potential maps for ammonium ion, which atom has the greatest electron density?

Short answer

The nitrogen atom in the ammonium ion has the greatest electron density.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding potential maps

Potential maps are a representation of charge distributions in a molecule. It consists of different colors which signify different charge densities. Red is for the most negative electrostatic potential and blue stands for the most positive electrostatic potential.

Analyzing the potential map of ammonium ion.

The red color indicates maximum electron density. According to the potential maps of ammonium ions, the nitrogen atom has the maximum red thus nitrogen has the greatest electron density in ammonium ion.