In the balanced chemical equation, below, determine what the coefficient and the subscript represent in 6H2O.
Choose ALL the answers that are correct.
4 C02 + 6 H20 arrow 2 C2H6+702
a
The 2 subscript represents 2 water molecules.
b
The 6 coefficient represents 6 atoms in each water molecule.
c
The 2 subscript represents 2 atoms in each water molecule.
d
The 6 coefficient represents 6 molecules of water.
c
The 2 subscript represents 2 atoms in each water molecule.
d
The 6 coefficient represents 6 molecules of water.
The correct answer is c.
The 2 subscript represents 2 atoms in each water molecule.
In the balanced chemical equation, 6H2O represents 6 molecules of water. Each water molecule (H2O) is made up of 2 atoms of hydrogen (H) and 1 atom of oxygen (O). The subscript 2 in H2O represents the number of atoms of hydrogen in each water molecule.
The correct answers are:
a) The 2 subscript represents 2 water molecules.
c) The 2 subscript represents 2 atoms in each water molecule.
Explanation:
In the balanced chemical equation, the coefficient and the subscript have different meanings.
a) The 2 subscript represents 2 water molecules. In this equation, there are 2 water molecules on the left side of the arrow.
c) The 2 subscript represents 2 atoms in each water molecule. Each water molecule consists of 2 hydrogen (H) atoms and 1 oxygen (O) atom. So, the subscript 2 in H2O represents 2 atoms of hydrogen and 1 atom of oxygen per water molecule.
Therefore, options a and c are correct.
b) The 6 coefficient does not represent 6 atoms in each water molecule. The coefficient indicates the number of molecules involved in the reaction. In this case, the coefficient 6 represents 6 molecules of water.
d) The 6 coefficient represents 6 molecules of water. This answer is correct because the 6 coefficient indicates the number of molecules of water involved in the reaction.