Question

Balance the following chemical equations and classify them into their different classes; a) Fecl3(aq) + KOH(aq) produce Fe(OH)3 +KCl
b) CH4 + H2O produce CO +H2

Answers

GPT-4o mini
Let's balance the given chemical equations and classify them.

### a) FeCl₃(aq) + KOH(aq) → Fe(OH)₃(s) + KCl(aq)

**Balancing:**
1. We have 1 Fe on both sides.
2. We have 3 Cl from FeCl₃ on the left and KCl on the right. To balance Cl, we need 3 KCl.
3. Thus, we also need 3 KOH to provide 3 OH⁻ for Fe(OH)₃.

**Balanced Equation:**
\[ \text{FeCl}_3(aq) + 3 \text{KOH}(aq) \rightarrow \text{Fe(OH)}_3(s) + 3 \text{KCl}(aq) \]

**Classification:**
This reaction is a **double displacement** (or **metathesis**) reaction, as it involves the exchange of ions between reactants.

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### b) CH₄ + H₂O → CO + H₂

**Balancing:**
1. We have 1 C on both sides.
2. In the reactants, we have 4 H in CH₄, and on the products side, we have 2 H in H₂. To balance H, we need 2 H₂ on the right side (which gives us 4 H).
3. We also need to balance the O. In the reactants, we have 1 O from H₂O, and we have 1 O in CO.

**Balanced Equation:**
\[ \text{CH}_4 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightarrow \text{CO} + 3 \text{H}_2 \]

**Classification:**
This reaction is a **combustion** reaction (specifically, partial combustion, since it produces CO instead of CO₂), as it involves a hydrocarbon reacting with water to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas.

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### Final Summary:
- **a)** Balanced: \[ \text{FeCl}_3(aq) + 3 \text{KOH}(aq) \rightarrow \text{Fe(OH)}_3(s) + 3 \text{KCl}(aq) \] (Double displacement)
- **b)** Balanced: \[ \text{CH}_4 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightarrow \text{CO} + 3 \text{H}_2 \] (Partial combustion)