Question

Magnesium is a highly flammable element which is easily combustible in the presence of oxygen:

2Mg + O2 --> ?? + heat

How many atoms would you expect to find on the product side of this equation?

Answer 1

4

Step-by-step explanation:

4 atoms would be produced, since the reactants are 2 atoms of magnesium and 1 molecule of diatomic oxygen (which contains 2 atoms). Due to the law of conservation of matter, the total number of atoms can not increase or decrease in a chemical reaction.