consider the same reaction: 2 molecules of ethylene (c₂h₄) react with 1 molecule of oxygen (o₂) to produce…

consider the same reaction: 2 molecules of ethylene (c₂h₄) react with 1 molecule of oxygen (o₂) to produce some amount of acetaldehyde (c₂h₄o). use the number of atoms in the products to answer the question below.\n| chemical element | number of atoms in reactants | number of atoms in products |\n| ---- | ---- | ---- |\n| h | 8 | 8 |\n| c | 4 | 4 |\n| o | 2 | 2 |\nduring this reaction, how many molecules of acetaldehyde (c₂h₄o) are produced?

consider the same reaction: 2 molecules of ethylene (c₂h₄) react with 1 molecule of oxygen (o₂) to produce some amount of acetaldehyde (c₂h₄o). use the number of atoms in the products to answer the question below.\n| chemical element | number of atoms in reactants | number of atoms in products |\n| ---- | ---- | ---- |\n| h | 8 | 8 |\n| c | 4 | 4 |\n| o | 2 | 2 |\nduring this reaction, how many molecules of acetaldehyde (c₂h₄o) are produced?

Answer

Explanation:

Step1: Determine the number of atoms of each element in acetaldehyde

Acetaldehyde ($C_2H_4O$) has 2 carbon (C) atoms, 4 hydrogen (H) atoms and 1 oxygen (O) atom.

Step2: Analyze the number of atoms of each element in the products

We know there are 4 C - atoms, 8 H - atoms and 2 O - atoms in the products.

Step3: Calculate the number of acetaldehyde molecules

For carbon: $\frac{4}{2}=2$; for hydrogen: $\frac{8}{4}=2$; for oxygen: $\frac{2}{1}=2$. Since the ratio is consistent for all elements, the number of acetaldehyde molecules is 2.

Answer:

2