Question

According to the law of conservation of mass, how many atoms of oxygen exist in the products of this reaction?

aCO 2+bH 2O→cC 6 H 12O 6+dO 2
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A) 6

B) 5

C) 3

D) 2

Answer 1

The provided options for the number of oxygen atoms in the products of the reaction do not adhere to the law of conservation of mass, as the minimum number of oxygen atoms from the glucose product alone would be 6, not accounting for additional oxygen from O₂.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to the law of conservation of mass, the number of atoms of each element must be the same in the reactants and the products of a chemical reaction. For the given reaction, aCO2 + bH2O → cC6H12O6 + dO2, we are looking for the number of atoms of oxygen in the products. In the product C6H12O6, there are 6 oxygen atoms per molecule. Since one molecule of glucose (C6H12O6) is produced, this contributes 6 oxygen atoms. Additionally, for every molecule of O2 in the products, there are 2 oxygen atoms. If there is at least one molecule of O2 produced, this would contribute at least 2 more oxygen atoms, bringing the total to a minimum of 8 atoms of oxygen. However, without coefficients, the exact number cannot be determined. But since all options presented are below 8, and the minimum count is 8, none of the choices (A) 6, (B) 5, (C) 3, or (D) 2 are correct. Since there can be no fewer than 6 oxygen atoms from glucose alone, the options provided do not align with the law of conservation of mass as given.