Iron metal reacts with oxygen gas to form rust, iron (III) oxide. Which of the following correctly shows the balanced equation for this reaction?
4FE(s)+3O(,2) (g) => 2Fe (,2) O (,3) (s).
Ps the ones with a comma and in parentheses are exponents that go on the bottom
4Fe + 3O2 --> 2FeO3
To determine the balanced equation for the reaction between iron metal and oxygen gas, we need to remember that chemical equations must be balanced, meaning that the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation should be the same.
The reaction can be represented as follows:
Iron (s) + Oxygen (g) → Iron (III) oxide (s)
To balance this equation, we need to adjust the coefficients in front of each compound or element to balance the number of atoms on both sides of the equation.
Let's start with the iron (Fe) atoms:
Iron (s) + Oxygen (g) → Iron (III) oxide (s)
Fe + O₂ → Fe₂O₃
Next, let's balance the oxygen (O) atoms:
Fe + O₂ → Fe₂O₃
Since there are now two oxygen atoms on the left side (in O₂) and three oxygen atoms on the right side (in Fe₂O₃), we need to multiply the iron (Fe) compound on the left side by 3 to balance the equation:
3Fe + O₂ → Fe₂O₃
Therefore, the correctly balanced equation for the reaction between iron metal and oxygen gas to form iron (III) oxide is:
3Fe + O₂ → Fe₂O₃