When iron metal reacts with oxygen, the reaction can form Fe2o3 (numbers are subscripts). Write a balanced chemical equation for this reaction and find the number of moles of oxygen that are needed to form 6 mol of Fe2o3. Show your work.

I am really stuck and I don't know how I'm supposed to write an equation out of the information given. I really need help!

3 answers

This is relatively simple so I'm trying to understand what is troubling you. What is it you don't understand about this question? Do you know the symbols? how to balance an equation? Please clear this up. If you're stuck on this I know you will be quite confused as the course becomes more complicated.
This question TELLS you that iron and oxygen combine to form a compound Fe2O3. So you write
Fe + O2 ==> Fe2O3 and you balance it this way.
4Fe + 3O2 ==> 2Fe2O3

For the second part of the question, you want to form 6 mols Fe2O3. You see from the equation that 2 mol Fe2O3 will require 3 mol O2 so to form 6 mol Fe2O3 you must have 6 x (3/2) = 9 mols O2. Another way is to say 2 mols Fe2O3 will require 3 mols O2 so 1 mol Fe2O3 will require 3/2 mol O2. So every mol Fe2O3 you form needs 3/2 mol O2. Then 6 mols will need 6 x 3/2 mols O2 or 9 mols O2.
oml thank you so much DrBob you saved me
Yes.... more chemical compounds I must learn. Mother Russia thanks you.