Final answer:
The correct boxes representing reactants and products for the reaction 2 N₂O(g) → 2 N₂(g) + O₂(g) should depict the reactants with a total of unshaded and shaded spheres in a 4:2 ratio and the products as pairs of unshaded and shaded spheres representing N₂ and O₂ molecules, respectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine which box represents reactants and which represents products for the reaction 2 N₂O(g) → 2 N₂(g) + O₂(g), we need to compare the number of nitrogen (unshaded spheres) and oxygen (shaded spheres) atoms before and after the reaction as shown in the provided boxes. Reactants should have a total of two nitrogen atoms per N₂O molecule and one oxygen atom per N₂O molecule, leading to a total of four nitrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms for the reactants since the stoichiometric coefficient is 2. The products should consist of two diatomic nitrogen molecules (two N₂) and one diatomic oxygen molecule (O₂).
Without an accompanying diagram, we can only work with the information above, but the correct answer will have a box for reactants containing a combination of unshaded and shaded spheres in a ratio that corresponds to N₂O, and the products would be separated into molecules of unshaded spheres paired to represent N₂ and a pair of shaded spheres representing O₂.