Question

Consider the equation:

CH4+O2→2H2O+CO2

Which element or elements are unbalanced in this equation?

A. C, H, and O are all unbalanced.

B. Both H and O are unbalanced.

C .Only the H is unbalanced.

D. Only the O is unbalanced.

Answer 1

Answer:

D.

Explanation:

Only the oxygen is unbalanced. there should be 2O2 instead of O2 in order to balance the chemical reaction

Answer 2

Answer: Option (D) is the correct answer.

Explanation:

A balanced equation is defined as the equation which contains same number of atoms on both reactant and product side.

For example, $CH_{4} + O_{2} \rightarrow 2H_{2}O + CO_{2}$

Number of atoms on reactant side are as follows.

• C = 1

• H = 4

• O = 2

Number of atoms on product side are as follows.

• C = 1

• H = 4

• O = 4

So, to balance this chemical equation we need to multiply $O_{2}$ by 2 on reactant side. Hence, the balanced chemical reaction equation is as follows.

         $CH_{4} + 2O_{2} \rightarrow 2H_{2}O + CO_{2}$

Thus, we can conclude that in the given reaction only the O is unbalanced.