Answered

Welcome to Westonci.ca, the place where your questions are answered by a community of knowledgeable contributors. Experience the convenience of getting accurate answers to your questions from a dedicated community of professionals. Get immediate and reliable solutions to your questions from a community of experienced professionals on our platform.

The equation for water is [tex]H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow H_2O[/tex]. To balance the equation, which coefficients should be placed in front of [tex]H_2[/tex] and [tex]H_2O[/tex]?

A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4

Sagot :

GinnyAnswer
Certainly! Let's balance the chemical equation step by step:

The unbalanced chemical equation is:

[tex]\[ H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow H_2O \][/tex]

### Step 1: Count the number of atoms for each element on both sides.
- Reactants:
- Hydrogen ([tex]\(H\)[/tex]): 2 atoms (from [tex]\(H_2\)[/tex])
- Oxygen ([tex]\(O\)[/tex]): 2 atoms (from [tex]\(O_2\)[/tex])
- Products:
- Hydrogen ([tex]\(H\)[/tex]): 2 atoms (from [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex])
- Oxygen ([tex]\(O\)[/tex]): 1 atom (from [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex])

### Step 2: Balance the hydrogen atoms.
To balance the hydrogen atoms, we need to have the same number of hydrogen atoms on both sides. Currently, we have 2 hydrogen atoms in the reactants and 2 hydrogen atoms in the products. Thus, the hydrogen atoms are already balanced.

### Step 3: Balance the oxygen atoms.
To balance the oxygen atoms, we need to have the same number of oxygen atoms on both sides. Currently, we have 2 oxygen atoms in the reactants and 1 oxygen atom in the products.

Since there's only one [tex]\(O\)[/tex] in [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex], we can try placing a coefficient of 2 in front of [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex]:

[tex]\[ H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2 H_2O \][/tex]

### Step 4: Recount the number of atoms after adjusting coefficients.
- Reactants:
- Hydrogen ([tex]\(H\)[/tex]): 2 atoms (from [tex]\(H_2\)[/tex])
- Oxygen ([tex]\(O\)[/tex]): 2 atoms (from [tex]\(O_2\)[/tex])
- Products:
- Hydrogen ([tex]\(H\)[/tex]): 4 atoms (from 2 [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex])
- Oxygen ([tex]\(O\)[/tex]): 2 atoms (from 2 [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex])

### Step 5: Balance the hydrogen atoms again.
We now see that we have 4 hydrogen atoms on the product side but only 2 hydrogen atoms on the reactant side. To balance the hydrogen atoms, we need to place a coefficient of 2 in front of [tex]\(H_2\)[/tex]:

[tex]\[ 2 H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2 H_2O \][/tex]

### Step 6: Final check.
- Reactants:
- Hydrogen ([tex]\(H\)[/tex]): 4 atoms (from 2 [tex]\(H_2\)[/tex])
- Oxygen ([tex]\(O\)[/tex]): 2 atoms (from [tex]\(O_2\)[/tex])
- Products:
- Hydrogen ([tex]\(H\)[/tex]): 4 atoms (from 2 [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex])
- Oxygen ([tex]\(O\)[/tex]): 2 atoms (from 2 [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex])

Now the equation is balanced on both sides, with 4 hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms.

Therefore, the coefficients required to balance the equation are:
- [tex]\(2\)[/tex] in front of [tex]\(H_2\)[/tex]
- [tex]\(2\)[/tex] in front of [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex]

So, the balanced chemical equation is:

[tex]\[ 2 H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2 H_2O \][/tex]

Hence, the coefficients to be placed in front of [tex]\(H_2\)[/tex] and [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex] are both:
[tex]\[ \boxed{2} \][/tex]
Thanks for using our service. We're always here to provide accurate and up-to-date answers to all your queries. We hope you found what you were looking for. Feel free to revisit us for more answers and updated information. Thank you for choosing Westonci.ca as your information source. We look forward to your next visit.