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Use the equation to answer the question.

CH4 + _____Cl2 → CCl4 + _____HCl

Which numbers balance this equation?

(1 point)
Responses

1, 2
1, 2

2, 4
2, 4

3, 2
3, 2

4, 4

1 answer

To balance the equation \( \text{CH}_4 + ____ \text{Cl}_2 \rightarrow \text{CCl}_4 + ____ \text{HCl} \), we need to determine the correct coefficients for \( \text{Cl}_2 \) and \( \text{HCl} \).

  1. Carbon (C) balance:

    • 1 carbon in \( \text{CH}_4 \)
    • 1 carbon in \( \text{CCl}_4 \)

  2. Hydrogen (H) balance:

    • 4 hydrogens in \( \text{CH}_4 \)
    • This means 4 H atoms in products; hence we need 4 molecules of \( \text{HCl} \).

  3. Chlorine (Cl) balance:

    • From \( \text{CCl}_4 \), there are 4 Cl atoms.
    • From \( \text{HCl} \), there will be 4 Cl atoms (because 4 HCl will also contribute 4 Cl atoms).
    • Total Cl needed = 4 (from CCl4) + 4 (from HCl) = 8 Cl atoms.
    • This means we will need 4 \( \text{Cl}_2 \) molecules because each \( \text{Cl}_2 \) provides 2 Cl atoms (4 \( \text{Cl}_2 \) will give 8 Cl atoms).

Putting this all together:

\[ 1 \text{CH}_4 + 4 \text{Cl}_2 \rightarrow 1 \text{CCl}_4 + 4 \text{HCl} \]

So, the numbers that balance the equation are 4 for Cl2 and 4 for HCl, which corresponds to the pair:

4, 4.