Use the equation to answer the question.

Question

CH4+2O2→CO2+H2O

Which statement describes why this chemical equation is not correct?

Responses

There are more carbons on the left side than the right side.
There are more carbons on the left side than the right side. - no response given

There are more hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the left side than the right side.
There are more hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the left side than the right side. - no response given

There are more oxygens on the left side than the right side.
There are more oxygens on the left side than the right side. - no response given

There are more carbons and oxygens on the left side than the right side.

Answer 1

To evaluate the accuracy of the chemical equation CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + H2O, let's count the atoms on both sides.

Left Side:

• C: 1 (from CH4)
• H: 4 (from CH4)
• O: 4 (from 2O2)

Right Side:

• C: 1 (from CO2)
• H: 2 (from H2O)
• O: 3 (2 from CO2 and 1 from H2O)

Now, comparing both sides:

• Carbons: 1 on the left, 1 on the right (balanced)
• Hydrogens: 4 on the left, 2 on the right (not balanced)
• Oxygens: 4 on the left, 3 on the right (not balanced)

So, there are more hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the left side than the right side. Therefore, the correct statement would be:

There are more hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the left side than the right side.

This statement accurately reflects the imbalance in the equation.