Suppose 10 atoms of carbon (C) react with 20 atoms of oxygen (O) to form 10 molecules of carbon dioxide ( CO2
). According to the law of conservation of matter, how many atoms are present in this reaction?(1 point)
Responses
10
10
20
20
15
15
30
30
To determine the number of atoms present in this reaction, we need to calculate the total number of atoms in both the reactants (carbon and oxygen) and the product (carbon dioxide).
In 10 atoms of carbon (C), there are 10 atoms of carbon.
In 20 atoms of oxygen (O), there are 20 atoms of oxygen.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) consists of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. Since there are 10 molecules of carbon dioxide formed, there will be a total of:
10 molecules * (1 carbon atom + 2 oxygen atoms) = 10 * (1 + 2) = 10 * 3 = 30 atoms of carbon dioxide.
Therefore, the total number of atoms present in this reaction is:
10 atoms of carbon + 20 atoms of oxygen + 30 atoms of carbon dioxide = 10 + 20 + 30 = 60 atoms.
To answer this question, we need to understand the law of conservation of matter, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction. This means that the number of atoms before the reaction should be equal to the number of atoms after the reaction.
In this case, 10 atoms of carbon (C) react with 20 atoms of oxygen (O) to form 10 molecules of carbon dioxide (CO2). To determine the number of atoms, we need to know the number of atoms in each molecule of carbon dioxide.
A molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2) consists of one atom of carbon (C) and two atoms of oxygen (O). Therefore, in 10 molecules of carbon dioxide, there would be 10 atoms of carbon and 20 atoms of oxygen.
Adding up the number of atoms of carbon and oxygen, we get:
10 atoms of carbon + 20 atoms of oxygen = 30 atoms
Therefore, according to the law of conservation of matter, there are 30 atoms present in this reaction. So the correct answer is:
30