Use the equation to answer the question.
CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O
If you change the 2 in front of 2O2
to a 3, what will be the change in the results on the right side of the equation?
Responses
There are now 3CO2molecules.
There is an extra O2 molecule left over.
Nothing changes in the equation.
There are now 3H2O molecules.
There are now 3H2O molecules.
are you sure the answer isn't There is an extra O2 molecule left over.
Apologies for the confusion. You are correct. If the coefficient in front of O2 is changed to 3, there will be an extra O2 molecule left over.
To determine the change in the results on the right side of the equation, let's analyze the equation step by step.
The balanced chemical equation is as follows:
CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O
Currently, on the right side of the equation, we have one carbon dioxide molecule (CO2) and two water molecules (2H2O).
To find the change in the results if we change the coefficient in front of 2O2 to 3, we need to update the equation:
CH4 + 3O2 → CO2 + 2H2O
Now, let's observe the changes on the right side:
1. The coefficient in front of CO2 remains the same - 1. So, the number of carbon dioxide molecules remains unchanged.
Therefore, "There are now 3CO2 molecules" is incorrect.
2. The coefficient in front of 2H2O remains the same - 2. So, the number of water molecules also remains unchanged.
Therefore, "There are now 3H2O molecules" is incorrect.
3. The only change made was to the coefficient in front of O2, which was changed from 2 to 3.
Therefore, "There is an extra O2 molecule left over" is the correct response.
So, the change in the results on the right side of the equation is that there is an extra O2 molecule left over.