Question

question
fill in the blank coefficient in order to balance the following chemical equation.

• your answer should be a whole number.

provide your answer below:
ch₄ + h₂o → co + h₂

Explanation:

Step1: Count atoms on left - hand side

On the left, for carbon ($C$) we have 1 atom, for hydrogen ($H$) we have $4 + 2=6$ atoms, and for oxygen ($O$) we have 1 atom.

Step2: Balance hydrogen on right - hand side

On the right, we have 1 carbon and 1 oxygen in $CO$. To balance the 6 hydrogen atoms, since each $H_2$ molecule has 2 hydrogen atoms, we need $\frac{6}{2}=3$ $H_2$ molecules. So the coefficient of $H_2$ is 3.

Answer:

3