Final answer:
The balanced chemical equation indicates that 2 moles of hydrogen react with 1 mole of oxygen to form 2 moles of water. With 4 moles of H₂ and 3 moles of O₂ available, hydrogen is the limiting reactant and will produce 4 moles of H₂O.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asks about the amount of water produced from a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. From the balanced chemical equation 2 H₂ + O₂ → 2 H₂O, we can deduce that 2 moles of hydrogen react with 1 mole of oxygen to form 2 moles of water. Given that we have 4 moles of hydrogen reacting with 3 moles of oxygen, we need to find the limiting reactant to determine the amount of water that will be produced.
Since the ratio of hydrogen to oxygen in the reaction is 2:1, 4 moles of hydrogen would require 2 moles of oxygen to react completely. Here, oxygen is in excess (3 moles available), and hydrogen is the limiting reactant. Therefore, 4 moles of hydrogen will fully react to produce 4 moles of H₂O (water) because the ratio of hydrogen to water in the balanced equation is 1:1.