To analyze the given reaction, we need to consider the atoms of carbon and oxygen involved in forming carbon dioxide (CO₂).
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Starting Reactants:
- You have 10 atoms of carbon (C).
- You have 20 atoms of oxygen (O).
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Products:
- When carbon reacts with oxygen to form carbon dioxide, the chemical equation is: \[ C + O_2 \rightarrow CO_2 \]
- Each molecule of carbon dioxide (CO₂) consists of 1 carbon atom and 2 oxygen atoms.
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Formation of Carbon Dioxide:
- If you have 10 carbon atoms, you can form 10 CO₂ molecules.
- For each CO₂ molecule, you need 2 oxygen atoms. Thus, 10 CO₂ molecules require: \[ 10 , \text{molecules of CO₂} \times 2 , \text{O atoms/molecule} = 20 , \text{O atoms} \]
- This matches the 20 oxygen atoms you have.
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Total Atoms:
- In the entire reaction, we need to count all the atoms involved:
- Reactants:
- 10 C atoms + 20 O atoms = 30 atoms
- Products:
- 10 CO₂ molecules consist of:
- \(10 , \text{C} + (10 \times 2) , \text{O} = 10 , \text{C} + 20 , \text{O} = 30 , \text{atoms}\)
- 10 CO₂ molecules consist of:
- Reactants:
- In the entire reaction, we need to count all the atoms involved:
Therefore, according to the law of conservation of matter, the total number of atoms before and after the reaction must be the same, which is 30.
So, the answer to your question is 30 atoms are present in the reaction.