Question

identifying parts of a chemical equation
identify each part of this chemical equation, which describes the burning of methane and oxygen.
a (the entire green box):

b (the blue box):

c (the arrow): ✔ reacts to form

d (the number): ✔ coefficient

e (the purple box):

(image shows: ch₄ + 2o₂ → co₂ + 2h₂o with labels a, b, c, d, e pointing to respective parts)

Explanation:

• For part A (entire green box: \( \text{CH}_4 + 2\text{O}_2 \)): In a chemical equation, the substances on the left side of the arrow are the reactants, which are the starting materials that undergo the reaction. So A is reactants.
• For part B (the blue box, which is the '+' sign): In a chemical equation, the '+' sign between reactants (or products) is used to separate different reactant (or product) substances and is read as "and" or "plus". So B is plus sign (or "and" sign, used to separate reactants).
• For part E (the purple box: \( \text{CO}_2 + 2\text{H}_2\text{O} \)): In a chemical equation, the substances on the right side of the arrow are the products, which are the substances formed as a result of the chemical reaction. So E is products.

Answer:

A: reactants
B: plus sign (or "and" sign, to separate reactants)
E: products

(Note: For B, it can also be described as the "plus" symbol used to separate reactant formulas; the key is recognizing its role in the chemical equation structure. The arrow (C) is already identified as "reacts to form", and D (the number 2) is identified as a coefficient, which is correct as coefficients are the numbers in front of formulas to balance the equation.)