select the correct answer.\nthis chemical equation represents the burning of methane, but the equation is…
select the correct answer.\nthis chemical equation represents the burning of methane, but the equation is incomplete. what is the missing coefficient in both the reactants and the products?\nch₄ + ____o₂ → co₂ + ____h₂o\na. 0\nb. 1\nc. 2\nd. 3\ne. 4
Answer
Answer:
C. 2
Explanation:
Step1: Balance carbon atoms
The number of carbon atoms on the left - hand side (LHS) from $CH_4$ is 1. On the right - hand side (RHS), in $CO_2$, the number of carbon atoms is 1. So, carbon is already balanced without considering the coefficients for now.
Step2: Balance hydrogen atoms
In $CH_4$, there are 4 hydrogen atoms on the LHS. In $H_2O$ on the RHS, to balance the 4 hydrogen atoms, we need 2 moles of $H_2O$ since each mole of $H_2O$ has 2 hydrogen atoms ($2\times2 = 4$).
Step3: Balance oxygen atoms
On the RHS, in $CO_2$ there are 2 oxygen atoms and in 2 moles of $H_2O$ there are 2 oxygen atoms, so in total there are 4 oxygen atoms on the RHS. On the LHS, in $O_2$, to get 4 oxygen atoms, we need 2 moles of $O_2$ since each mole of $O_2$ has 2 oxygen atoms. So the balanced equation is $CH_4 + 2O_2\rightarrow CO_2+2H_2O$.