If you change \( 2 , O_2 \) to \( 3 , O_2 \) in the reaction \( CH_4 + 2O_2 \rightarrow CO_2 + 2H_2O \), you would need to balance the reaction again to account for the change in oxygen.
Currently, the equation produces 1 molecule of \( CO_2 \) and 2 molecules of \( H_2O \) for every 2 molecules of \( O_2 \). If you increase the oxygen to 3 molecules, this would change the products due to a different reactant quantity.
The balanced equation would now need to be adjusted. To balance the oxygen, one potential outcome could be:
\[ CH_4 + 3O_2 \rightarrow 2CO_2 + 2H_2O \]
Thus, with 3 \( O_2 \), you would now have:
- 2 \( CO_2 \) molecules produced (instead of 1).
- The amount of \( H_2O \) remains the same at 2 molecules.
In conclusion, based on the options provided:
There are now 2 \( CO_2 \) molecules.
The correct answer regarding the effects of changing \( 2O_2 \) to \( 3O_2 \) is that now there are 2 molecules of carbon dioxide produced and the reaction is balanced with leftover oxygen.
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