Balanced chemical equation for the carbon monoxide gas for motor car engines combines with the oxygen gas in the air to produce carbo dioxide
Write it out in words
carbon monoxide + oxygen -> carbon dioxide
then convert to symbols
CO + O2 -> CO2
now have a go at balancing it
To write a balanced chemical equation for carbon monoxide gas (CO) reacting with oxygen gas (O2) to produce carbon dioxide (CO2), you need to follow a few steps:
Step 1: Write the chemical formula for each compound involved in the reaction. Carbon monoxide is CO, oxygen gas is O2, and carbon dioxide is CO2.
Step 2: Set up the initial equation by writing the reactants on the left side of the arrow and the products on the right side of the arrow. The equation will be:
CO + O2 → CO2
Step 3: To balance the equation, start with the most complex molecule, which in this case is carbon dioxide (CO2). There is already one carbon atom on the right side, so we need to balance the oxygen atoms. Since there are two oxygen atoms on the right side, we need to add a coefficient of 2 in front of the CO2:
CO + O2 → 2CO2
Step 4: Now let's balance the oxygen atoms. On the left side, we have only one oxygen atom from O2, so we need to balance that by adding a coefficient of 2 in front of the O2:
CO + 2O2 → 2CO2
Step 5: Finally, let's balance the carbon atoms. We have one carbon atom on the left side from CO and two carbon atoms on the right side from 2CO2. Therefore, the carbon atom is already balanced.
The balanced chemical equation for the reaction of carbon monoxide gas with oxygen gas to produce carbon dioxide is:
2CO + O2 → 2CO2