Look at the following equation.
__Au2O3 → __Au + __O2
In order to follow the law of conservation of mass, this equation must have which set of coefficients, in order from left to right?
a
1, 3, 1
b
2, 4, 3
c
1, 1, 3
d
2, 1, 3
The correct answer is b) 2, 4, 3.
To balance the equation and follow the law of conservation of mass, the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation must be equal.
On the left side of the equation, there are 2 Au atoms (Au2O3), and on the right side there is 1 Au atom. To balance this, we need to multiply the coefficient in front of Au on the right side by 2 (2Au), giving us a total of 2 Au atoms on both sides.
On the left side of the equation, there are 3 O atoms (Au2O3), and on the right side there are 2 O atoms (O2). To balance this, we need to multiply the coefficient in front of O on the right side by 3 (3O2), giving us a total of 3 O atoms on both sides.
Therefore, the balanced equation is:
2Au2O3 → 4Au + 3O2
To determine the correct set of coefficients for the balanced equation, let's analyze the elements involved in the equation: Au (gold) and O (oxygen).
In the given equation, there are 2 Au atoms on the left side and only 1 on the right side. Therefore, the coefficient for Au should be doubled to balance the number of Au atoms in the equation.
Next, there are 3 O atoms on the left side and only 2 on the right side. To balance the number of O atoms, the coefficient for O2 should be multiplied by 3/2.
So, the equation with the correct set of coefficients, in order from left to right, becomes:
2 Au2O3 → 4 Au + 3 O2
Looking at the provided options, the set of coefficients that matches the balanced equation is option b: 2, 4, 3.
To answer this question, we need to balance the equation by assigning coefficients to the reactants and products in order to follow the law of conservation of mass. The coefficients represent the number of molecules or moles for each substance.
In the given equation, we have:
__Au2O3 → __Au + __O2
The subscript 2 in Au2O3 means there are 2 atoms of Au for every 3 atoms of O in the compound.
To balance the equation, we can start by adjusting the number of atoms on each side:
On the left side, we have 2 atoms of Au and 3 atoms of O.
On the right side, we have 1 atom of Au and 2 atoms of O.
To balance the atoms of Au, we need to have 2 atoms on both sides. This means we need a coefficient of 2 for Au on the right side.
So far, we have:
__Au2O3 → 2Au + __O2
Now, let's balance the O atoms.
On the left side, we have 3 atoms of O.
On the right side, we have 2 atoms of O.
To balance the O atoms, we need a coefficient of 1.5 for O on the right side. However, we cannot have fractional coefficients in a balanced chemical equation. Therefore, we need to multiply the entire equation by 2 to eliminate the decimal.
After multiplying the equation by 2, we have:
2Au2O3 → 4Au + 3O2
Now we have 6 O atoms on the right side, which matches the 6 O atoms on the left side.
The correct set of coefficients, in order from left to right, is:
b) 2, 4, 3