Why does hydrogen + oxygen = 2H2O?
How do we know whether to double the oxygen atom rather than keep it as O and match it with 2 hydrogens? Why is the end result 2H2O when it could be just H2O?
I'm just a bit confused, thanks for your help. :)
How do we know whether to double the oxygen atom rather than keep it as O and match it with 2 hydrogens? Why is the end result 2H2O when it could be just H2O?
I'm just a bit confused, thanks for your help. :)
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There are some things that we have to accept as a given fact:
1) water is a compound with the formula H2O - 2 atoms of hydrogen combined with 1 atom of oxygen.
2) Hydrogen exists naturally as a diatomic molecule H2
3) Oxygen exists as a diatomic molecule O2
4) If you react hydrogen with oxygen , you produce water.
You can write :
hydrogen + oxygen = water. That is the word equation . Now write this as a chemical equation:
H2 + O2 → H2O But you have a problem : There are two atoms of oxygen on the left side of the equation and only 1 atom of oxygen on the right side of the equation. The equation has to be balanced. You cannot write :
H2 + O → H2O because oxygen does not exist as O. Only as O2
The simple way to fix this problem is to double up on the equation:
2H2 + O2 → 2H2O This is now a fully balanced chemical equation which tells you that hydrogen reacts with oxygen to produce water .
I have seen some "balanced equation"which read:
H2 + ½O2 → H2O . I do not think it is correct to use fractions in chemical equations.
1) water is a compound with the formula H2O - 2 atoms of hydrogen combined with 1 atom of oxygen.
2) Hydrogen exists naturally as a diatomic molecule H2
3) Oxygen exists as a diatomic molecule O2
4) If you react hydrogen with oxygen , you produce water.
You can write :
hydrogen + oxygen = water. That is the word equation . Now write this as a chemical equation:
H2 + O2 → H2O But you have a problem : There are two atoms of oxygen on the left side of the equation and only 1 atom of oxygen on the right side of the equation. The equation has to be balanced. You cannot write :
H2 + O → H2O because oxygen does not exist as O. Only as O2
The simple way to fix this problem is to double up on the equation:
2H2 + O2 → 2H2O This is now a fully balanced chemical equation which tells you that hydrogen reacts with oxygen to produce water .
I have seen some "balanced equation"which read:
H2 + ½O2 → H2O . I do not think it is correct to use fractions in chemical equations.
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H2+O2=2H20
on left side, that is H2+O2:
there are two molecules of Hydrogen and two of oxygen but on right hand side, that is H20 there is one molecule of oxygen.
So to balance both side we write 2 in front of H2O i.e. 2H2O
but now it has become 4 molecules of hydrogen on left hand side, so to balance it we have to write 2 in front of H2 on right hand side,
So now the formula will be: 2H2+O2=2H2O
Hope it will help !!
on left side, that is H2+O2:
there are two molecules of Hydrogen and two of oxygen but on right hand side, that is H20 there is one molecule of oxygen.
So to balance both side we write 2 in front of H2O i.e. 2H2O
but now it has become 4 molecules of hydrogen on left hand side, so to balance it we have to write 2 in front of H2 on right hand side,
So now the formula will be: 2H2+O2=2H2O
Hope it will help !!