Question

Consider the equation:

CH4+O2→2H2O+CO2

Which element or elements are unbalanced in this equation?

Responses

C, H, and Oare all unbalanced.
uppercase C , uppercase H , and uppercase O are all unbalanced.

Only the Ois unbalanced.
Only the uppercase O is unbalanced.

Only the His unbalanced.
Only the uppercase H is unbalanced.

Both Hand Oare unbalanced.

Answer 1

To determine which elements are unbalanced in the equation \( \text{CH}_4 + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{H}_2\text{O} + \text{CO}_2 \), we can count the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.

**On the reactants side:**
- Carbon (C): 1 (from CH4)
- Hydrogen (H): 4 (from CH4)
- Oxygen (O): 2 (from O2)

**On the products side:**
- Carbon (C): 1 (from CO2)
- Hydrogen (H): 4 (from 2 H2O; 2 H2O contributes 4 H atoms)
- Oxygen (O): 4 (2 from 2 H2O and 2 from CO2)

Now let's compare the counts:

- Carbon: **Balanced** (1 on each side)
- Hydrogen: **Balanced** (4 on each side)
- Oxygen: **Unbalanced** (2 on the reactants side, 4 on the products side)

Therefore, the correct response is:

**Only the O is unbalanced.**