Use the equation to answer the question.

Question

CH4+2O2→CO2+H2O


Which statement describes why this chemical equation is not correct?

(1 point)
Responses

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

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.

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

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

Answer 1

To analyze the equation:

\[ CH_4 + 2O_2 \rightarrow CO_2 + H_2O \]

Let's count the number of atoms on both sides of the equation:

• On the left side (reactants):

  • Carbon (C): 1 (from CH4)
  • Hydrogen (H): 4 (from CH4)
  • Oxygen (O): 4 (2 from O2, since \(2 \times 2 = 4\))

• On the right side (products):

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

Now comparing the counts:

• Carbon: 1 on both sides
• Hydrogen: 4 on the left, 2 on the right
• Oxygen: 4 on the left, 3 on the right

Based on this analysis, the correct statement describing why the chemical equation is not balanced is:

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