carbon moboxide reacts with hudrogen to produce methanol
chemical equation:
balanced equation:
To write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction between carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) to produce methanol (CH3OH), follow these steps:
1. Write the skeletal equation: CO + H2 → CH3OH
2. Balance the carbon (C) atoms by adding a coefficient of 1 in front of CH3OH: CO + H2 → 1CH3OH
3. Balance the hydrogen (H) atoms by adding a coefficient of 2 in front of H2: CO + 2H2 → 1CH3OH
4. Balance the oxygen (O) atoms. In this case, there are no oxygens present in the reactants, but there are two in methanol. To balance this, add a coefficient of 1/2 in front of CO: 1/2CO + 2H2 → 1CH3OH
5. Multiply all coefficients by 2 to obtain whole numbers: 2 * (1/2CO + 2H2 → 1CH3OH)
This gives the final balanced equation: CO + 2H2 → CH3OH