2 H2O → 2 H2 + O2
This equation represents the decomposition of water into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. When two molecules of water react, they produce two molecules of hydrogen gas and one molecule of oxygen gas.
The given chemical equation is:
2 H2O → 2 H2 + O2
This equation represents the reaction of water (H2O) decomposing into hydrogen gas (H2) and oxygen gas (O2).
The coefficients in front of the chemical formulas indicate the number of molecules or moles involved in the reaction. In this case, "2" is the coefficient for both water and hydrogen gas, and "1" is the coefficient for oxygen gas.
This balanced equation indicates that for every two water molecules, two molecules of hydrogen gas and one molecule of oxygen gas are formed. The reaction involves the breaking of the water molecule into its constituent elements.
The chemical equation you've provided is the balanced equation for the decomposition of water (H2O) into hydrogen gas (H2) and oxygen gas (O2) using electrolysis. This equation shows that when electricity is passed through water, it splits into its elemental components.
To balance this equation, we need to ensure that there is an equal number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation. Let's break down how we can balance it:
On the left side of the equation, we have 2 hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms in the water (H2O).
On the right side, we have 2 hydrogen molecules (H2), which translates to 4 hydrogen atoms, and 1 oxygen molecule (O2), which translates to 2 oxygen atoms.
To balance the hydrogen atoms, we need to multiply the water (H2O) on the left side by 2. This gives us:
2 H2O → 4 H2 + O2
Now, we have 4 hydrogen atoms on both sides, but we still have 2 oxygen atoms on the right side and only 1 on the left side.
To balance the oxygen atoms, we need to multiply the O2 on the right side by 2. This gives us the final balanced equation:
2 H2O → 4 H2 + 2 O2
Now, we have equal numbers of hydrogen and oxygen atoms on both sides of the equation, ensuring that the law of conservation of mass is obeyed.