Sulfuryl chloride is a substance used to make chemicals for killing insects. It breaks down over time into sulfur dioxide and chlorine gas.

Question

Consider the following reaction:
Some amount of sulfuryl chloride (SO2Cl2) reacts to produce 1 molecule of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and 1 molecule of chlorine (Cl2).
Use the number of atoms in the reaction to answer the question below.
Chemical element Number of atoms in the reaction
O 2
S 1
Cl 2
During this reaction, how many molecules of sulfuryl chloride (SO2Cl2) react?

Answer 1

From the information given, we have the reaction of sulfuryl chloride (SO₂Cl₂) producing sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and chlorine gas (Cl₂). The balanced reaction can be represented as follows:

\[ \text{SO}_2\text{Cl}_2 \rightarrow \text{SO}_2 + \text{Cl}_2 \]

In this reaction:

• One molecule of sulfuryl chloride (SO₂Cl₂) produces one molecule of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and one molecule of chlorine gas (Cl₂).

For the balanced equation:

• Reactants: 1 sulfuryl chloride (SO₂Cl₂)
• Products: 1 sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and 1 chlorine gas (Cl₂)

This means that, in the given reaction, 1 molecule of sulfuryl chloride (SO₂Cl₂) reacts to produce 1 molecule of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and 1 molecule of chlorine (Cl₂).