To determine whether the chemical equation \( \text{CH}_4 + 2\text{O}_2 \rightarrow \text{CO}_2 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \) is correct, we should check the conservation of mass by balancing the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.
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Reactants:
- Carbon (C): 1 (from CH₄)
- Hydrogen (H): 4 (from CH₄)
- Oxygen (O): 4 (2 from O₂, since each O₂ contains 2 O)
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Products:
- Carbon (C): 1 (from CO₂)
- Hydrogen (H): 2 (from H₂O)
- Oxygen (O): 3 (2 from CO₂ and 1 from H₂O)
Balancing the Equation:
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On the reactants side:
- C: 1
- H: 4
- O: 4
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On the products side:
- C: 1
- H: 2
- O: 3
Analysis:
- The carbon atoms are balanced (1 on each side).
- The hydrogen atoms are not balanced (4 on reactants side, 2 on products side).
- The oxygen atoms are not balanced (4 on reactants side, 3 on products side).
Correct Statement: The statement that describes why this chemical equation is not correct is that the number of hydrogen and oxygen atoms is not balanced. In order to balance this chemical equation correctly, we would need to adjust the coefficients to ensure that both the total number of hydrogen and oxygen atoms is equal on both sides of the equation. The correct balanced equation for the combustion of methane is:
\[ \text{CH}_4 + 2\text{O}_2 \rightarrow \text{CO}_2 + 2\text{H}_2\text{O} \]
This balanced equation shows that for every 1 molecule of methane (CH₄), 2 molecules of oxygen (O₂) react to produce 1 molecule of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and 2 molecules of water (H₂O).
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