Question

Use the equation to answer the question.

CH4+2O2→CO2+H2O


Which statement describes why this chemical equation is not correct?

(1 point)
Responses

There are more hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the left side than the right side.
There are more hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the left side than the right side.

There are more carbons and oxygens on the left side than the right side.
There are more carbons and oxygens on the left side than the right side.

There are more oxygens on the left side than the right side.
There are more oxygens on the left side than the right side.

There are more carbons on the left side than the right side.

Answer 1

To determine which statement correctly describes a problem with the provided chemical equation, we can count the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.

The balanced chemical equation is:
\[ \text{CH}_4 + 2\text{O}_2 \rightarrow \text{CO}_2 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \]

Counting the atoms:

**Reactants (left side):**
- Carbon (C): 1 (from CH4)
- Hydrogen (H): 4 (from CH4)
- Oxygen (O): 4 (2 from 2O2)

**Products (right side):**
- Carbon (C): 1 (from CO2)
- Hydrogen (H): 2 (from H2O)
- Oxygen (O): 3 (2 from CO2 and 1 from H2O)

Now let's compare:

- **Carbon:** 1 on both sides
- **Hydrogen:** 4 on the left, 2 on the right
- **Oxygen:** 4 on the left, 3 on the right

Thus, there are:
- More hydrogen atoms on the left side than the right side.
- The number of carbon atoms is equal.
- More oxygen atoms on the left side than the right side.

The statement that best describes the issue is:
**There are more hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the left side than the right side.**

Therefore, the correct response is:
**There are more hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the left side than the right side.**