Iron reacts with atmospheric oxygen to form iron oxide or ferric oxide. Look at the chemical equation
Question:
This equation is unbalanced. Which of the following is the correct balanced equation for this reaction?
A.
4Fe + 3O2 → 2Fe2O3
B.
3Fe + 4O2 → 2Fe2O3
C.
2Fe + 4O2 → 3Fe2O3
D.
3Fe + 3O2 → 4Fe2O3
E.
4Fe + 4O2 → 3Fe2O3
Answers
The correct balanced equation is 4Fe + 3O2 → 2Fe2O3
Explanation:
A chemical equation is said to be a balanced chemical equation when the number of atoms and the total charge is same on reactants and products of the reaction i.e on both sides of the reaction.
Whereas, an equation is imbalanced if it does not have equal number of atoms and charge on both the sides.
The given equation 4Fe + 3O2 → 2Fe2O3 is balanced.
This is because the number of iron (Fe) and oxygen atoms are equal on both the sides, which are four and six respectively.
ANSWER
The correct answer is A
EXPLANATION
From the equation [tex]Fe + O_2 \rightarrow Fe_2O_3[/tex]
L.H.S.
Fe = 1
O =2
R.H.S
Fe =2
O =3
Now, let try to balance the oxygen atoms first,
To do this, we know the Least Common Multiples of 2 and 3 is 6
To get 6 atoms of oxygen at L.H.S multiply 2 by 3 and on the R.H.S, multiply 3 by 2
L.H.S.
[tex]O=2\times3=6[/tex]
R.H.S
[tex]O=3\times2=6[/tex]
This means that, 3 should be in front of [tex]O_2[/tex] at the L.H.S and 2 should come before [tex]Fe_2O_3[/tex] in the R.H.S of the equation
Now, we have
L.H.S.
Fe = 1
O = 6
R.H.S
Fe =4
O =6
The equation is still not balanced since Fe is not balance
The Least Common Multiple of 1 and 4 is 4
Which means that we need to multiply 1 by 4 at the L.H.S and 4 by 1 at the R.H.S
L.H.S.
[tex]Fe=1\times4=4[/tex]
R.H.S
[tex]Fe=4\times1=4[/tex]
We now, have
L.H.S.
Fe= 4
O=6
R.H.S
Fe =4
O=6
Hence the balanced equation is
[tex]4Fe +3O_2\rightarrow 2Fe_2O_3[/tex]
The right answer is 4 Fe + 3O2 → 2 Fe2O3.
Triferium tetroxide is a chemical compound of formula Fe3O4. It is an iron oxide present in the natural environment in the form of magnetite, a crystallized black mineral; in the laboratory, it is generally in the form of a black powder.
the answer is A 4Fe + 3O2 = 2Fe2O3