Final answer:
The chemical equation has four different elements present: Iron (Fe), Hydrogen (H), Carbon (C), and Oxygen (O),it's crucial to ensure the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the equation, which indicates a properly balanced chemical reaction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about the number of different elements present in a chemical equation. The equation in question is 2Fe + 6HC₂H₃O₂ → 2Fe(C₂H₃O₂)₃ + 3H₂. Let us first identify the elements before counting them. In the reactants, Fe stands for iron, H for hydrogen, C for carbon, and O for oxygen. Now on the product side, these elements are contained within compounds, with Fe again for iron, C for carbon, H for hydrogen, and O for oxygen.
So in total, there are four different elements present: Iron (Fe), Hydrogen (H), Carbon (C), and Oxygen (O). When balancing chemical equations, it's crucial to ensure the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the equation, which indicates a properly balanced chemical reaction. There are 5 different elements in the chemical equation: Fe, H, C, O, and Li.