The reaction you've described is:
\[ \text{C} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow \text{CO}_2 \]
In this case, each molecule of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.
From your scenario:
- You have 10 carbon atoms.
- You have 20 oxygen atoms available.
To form carbon dioxide (CO₂), each molecule needs 1 carbon atom and 2 oxygen atoms:
- From 10 carbon atoms, you can form 10 molecules of CO₂.
- Each of those 10 molecules will require 2 oxygen atoms, so you will need \(10 \times 2 = 20\) oxygen atoms.
Since you indeed have 20 oxygen atoms on hand, the reaction can proceed as follows:
\[ 10 , \text{C} + 20 , \text{O} \rightarrow 10 , \text{CO}_2 \]
Hence, all the carbon and oxygen atoms will react completely to form 10 molecules of carbon dioxide, and there will be no excess reactants left.