Westonci.ca is the best place to get answers to your questions, provided by a community of experienced and knowledgeable experts. Get immediate and reliable solutions to your questions from a community of experienced experts on our Q&A platform. Discover in-depth answers to your questions from a wide network of professionals on our user-friendly Q&A platform.

Select the correct answer.

Which of the following is a correctly balanced equation?

A. [tex]NaClO_3 \rightarrow NaCl + 3 O_2[/tex]
B. [tex]2 HgO \rightarrow 2 Hg + O_2[/tex]
C. [tex]2 ZnS + O_2 \rightarrow 2 ZnO + 2 SO_2[/tex]
D. [tex]4 CO + Fe_3O_4 \rightarrow 4 CO_2 + Fe[/tex]
E. [tex]2 Fe + 2 Cl_2 \rightarrow 2 FeCl_3[/tex]


Sagot :

To determine which of the given chemical equations is correctly balanced, we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element on the reactant side equals the number on the product side. Let's analyze each option step-by-step:

Option A: [tex]\( NaClO_3 \rightarrow NaCl + 3 O_2 \)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- Na: 1 atom
- Cl: 1 atom
- O: 3 atoms
- Products:
- Na: 1 atom
- Cl: 1 atom
- O: 6 atoms (because [tex]\(3 O_2\)[/tex] means [tex]\(3 \times 2\)[/tex] atoms of oxygen)

The oxygen atoms are not balanced (3 on the left, 6 on the right). Therefore, this equation is not balanced.

Option B: [tex]\( 2 HgO \rightarrow 2 Hg + O_2 \)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- Hg: 2 atoms
- O: 2 atoms (because [tex]\(2 HgO\)[/tex] means [tex]\(2 \times 1\)[/tex] atoms of oxygen)
- Products:
- Hg: 2 atoms
- O: 2 atoms (because [tex]\(O_2\)[/tex] means [tex]\(1 \times 2\)[/tex] atoms of oxygen)

Both mercury and oxygen atoms are balanced. Therefore, this equation is balanced.

Option C: [tex]\( 2 ZnS + O_2 \rightarrow 2 ZnO + 2 SO_2 \)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- Zn: 2 atoms
- S: 2 atoms
- O: 2 atoms
- Products:
- Zn: 2 atoms
- S: 2 atoms
- O: 6 atoms (because [tex]\(2 ZnO \rightarrow 2 \times 1 = 2\)[/tex] atoms and [tex]\(2 SO_2 \rightarrow 2 \times 2 = 4\)[/tex] atoms, total [tex]\(2 + 4 = 6\)[/tex] atoms of oxygen)

The oxygen atoms are not balanced (2 on the left, 6 on the right). Therefore, this equation is not balanced.

Option D: [tex]\( 4 CO + Fe_3O_4 \rightarrow 4 CO_2 + Fe \)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- C: 4 atoms
- O: 4 atoms (from CO) + 4 atoms (from Fe_3O_4) = 8 atoms
- Fe: 3 atoms
- Products:
- C: 4 atoms
- O: 8 atoms (from [tex]\(4 CO_2\rightarrow 4 \times 2\)[/tex])
- Fe: 1 atom

The iron atoms are not balanced (3 on the left, 1 on the right). Therefore, this equation is not balanced.

Option E: [tex]\( 2 Fe + 2 Cl_2 \rightarrow 2 FeCl_3 \)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- Fe: 2 atoms
- Cl: 4 atoms (because [tex]\(2 Cl_2 \rightarrow 2 \times 2\)[/tex])
- Products:
- Fe: 2 atoms
- Cl: 6 atoms (because [tex]\(2 FeCl_3 \rightarrow 2 \times 3\)[/tex])

The chlorine atoms are not balanced (4 on the left, 6 on the right). Therefore, this equation is not balanced.

After analyzing each option, the correctly balanced equation is Option B.