Question

Which coefficients must be placed in the following blanks so that all atoms are accounted for in the products?

$C_6{H}_{12}{O}_6\to \mathrm{\_}\mathrm{\_}\mathrm{\_}{C}_2{H}_6{O}_{}+\mathrm{\_}\mathrm{\_}\mathrm{\_}C{O}_2$

(A)2,1

(B) 3,1

(C) 1,3

(D) 2,2

Short answer

(A) The option “2,1” is false.

(B) The option “3,1” is false.

(C) The option “1,3” is false.

(D) The option “2,2” is true.

Step-by-step solution

Chemical reactions

The reactants and products in a chemical reaction that are denoted in the form of chemical formulas are known as chemical equations. The number that is placed before the chemical formula in order to maintain a balance between the reactant and product is the coefficient.

Explanation for option ‘(A)’

The “2,1” is not the coefficient.This is because if these coefficients are substituted, there occurs a reduction in the count of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen as on compared to the reactants. The number of carbon is obtained as 5, the number of hydrogen as 12, and the number of oxygen as 4.

Thus, the reactants and products cannot be balanced in the case of substituting 2 and 1 as the coefficient due to the reduction in the number of carbon and oxygen.

Therefore, the given statement is false.

Explanation for option ‘(B)’

The “3,1” is not the coefficient.This is because if these coefficients are substituted, there occurs an increase in the count of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen as comparedto the reactants.

Thus, this creates an imbalance by increasing the number of carbon as 8, the number of hydrogen as 18, and the number of oxygen as 11, which is more than the reactant side.

Therefore, the given statement is false.

Explanation for option ‘(C)’

The “1,3” is not the coefficient.This is because if these coefficients are substituted, there occurs an increase in the count of carbon and oxygen present in the carbon dioxide as compared to the reactants.

Thus, there is an increase in the count of carbon as 5, the number of hydrogen as 6, and the number of oxygen as 3, which is lesser than the reactants.

Therefore, the given statement is false.

Explanation for option ‘(D)’

The “2,2” is the proper coefficient for the given reaction.This is because if these coefficients are substituted, then the number of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are equal.

Thus, there is a proper balance in the count of carbon as 6, the number of hydrogen as 6, and the number of oxygen as 6 in both the reactant as well as the product side.

Therefore, the given statement is true.