Ethanol is a chemical that is used in many hand sanitizers. It is produced when steam reacts with the chemical ethylene.

Question

Consider the following reaction:
1 molecule of ethylene (C2H4) reacts with 1 molecule of water (H2O) to produce some amount of ethanol (C2H6O).
Use the number of atoms in the reaction to answer the question below.
Chemical element Number of atoms in the reaction
H 6
C 2
O 1
During this reaction, how many molecules of ethanol (C2H6O) are produced?

Answer 1

To determine how many molecules of ethanol (C₂H₆O) are produced in the reaction between ethylene (C₂H₄) and water (H₂O), we need to analyze the reactants and products in terms of atoms.

The reaction can be represented as follows:

1 C₂H₄ + 1 H₂O → x C₂H₆O

Now let's break down the number of each type of atom on both sides of the reaction:

Reactants:

• Ethylene (C₂H₄):

  • 2 Carbon (C) atoms
  • 4 Hydrogen (H) atoms

• Water (H₂O):

  • 0 Carbon (C) atoms
  • 2 Hydrogen (H) atoms
  • 1 Oxygen (O) atom

Total atoms in reactants:

• Carbon (C): 2 (from C₂H₄)
• Hydrogen (H): 4 (from C₂H₄) + 2 (from H₂O) = 6
• Oxygen (O): 1 (from H₂O)

So, the total number of atoms from the reactants is:

• C: 2
• H: 6
• O: 1

Now, in products, each molecule of ethanol (C₂H₆O) contains:

• 2 Carbon (C) atoms
• 6 Hydrogen (H) atoms
• 1 Oxygen (O) atom

Thus, the reaction would produce 1 molecule of ethanol (C₂H₆O).

In conclusion, the number of molecules of ethanol produced in the reaction is 1 molecule.