Question

Which of the following statements correctly describes the redox equation.

8H+ + MnO₄- + 6CO → 6CO₂ + Mn₂+ + 4H₂O?
A. It is correctly balanced for charge but not for the number of atoms.
B.It is correctly balanced.
C.It is not balanced for the number of atoms or charge.
D.It is correctly balanced for the number of atoms but not for charge.

Answer 1

The redox equation 8H+ + MnO₄- + 5CO → 6CO₂ + Mn²+ + 4H₂O is not balanced for the number of atoms or for charge. The correct option is C.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that correctly describes the redox equation 8H+ + MnO₄- + 5CO → 6CO₂ + Mn²+ + 4H₂O is that it is not balanced for the number of atoms or charge.

The numbers of oxygen and carbon atoms are not balanced, as there are four oxygen atoms on the left side (in MnO₄-) but ten on the right side (as part of the six CO₂ molecules), and the number of carbon atoms on the reactants side is one too few. Furthermore, the total charge on the left side of the equation is +7 (from 8H+ and MnO₄-) and on the right side, it is +2 (from Mn²+), indicating that the charges are not balanced either.

Hence, Option C is correct.