The given equation is:
\[ \text{CH}_4 + 2\text{O}_2 \rightarrow \text{CO}_2 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \]
To evaluate whether the equation is balanced, let's count the number of each type of atom on both sides:
-
Left side:
- Carbon (C): 1 (from CH4)
- Hydrogen (H): 4 (from CH4)
- Oxygen (O): 4 (from 2 O2)
-
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 summarize the counts:
-
Carbon:
- Left: 1
- Right: 1
-
Hydrogen:
- Left: 4
- Right: 2
-
Oxygen:
- Left: 4
- Right: 3
Now, we see that:
- The number of carbon atoms is balanced (1 on each side).
- The number of hydrogen atoms is not balanced (4 on the left side vs. 2 on the right side).
- The number of oxygen atoms is also not balanced (4 on the left vs. 3 on the right).
Based on this analysis, the correct statement that describes why the chemical equation is not correct is:
"There are more hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the left side than the right side."
So, the answer is: There are more hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the left side than the right side.