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Burning methane balances out
Age 14 · Chemistry
When methane burns, its atoms break their old bonds and join up in new ways to make carbon dioxide and water. You end up with exactly the same atoms you started with: 1 carbon, 4 hydrogen and 4 oxygen on each side, so the mass stays the same.
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In the picture
- Methane, CH₄: one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms
- Two oxygen molecules, O₂: four oxygen atoms in pairs
- Carbon dioxide, CO₂: the carbon atom now bonded to two oxygen atoms
- Two water molecules, H₂O: the four hydrogen atoms now shared between two oxygen atoms
Examples
- The blue flame of a gas cooker burns methane and gives off carbon dioxide and water vapour.
- A cold pan held over a gas flame fogs up with droplets of the water made by the reaction.
Key takeaways
- In a chemical reaction atoms are rearranged, never created or destroyed.
- A balanced equation has the same number of each kind of atom on both sides: CH₄ + 2O₂ → CO₂ + 2H₂O.
Quiz: Burning methane balances out (Age 14)
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What happens to atoms during a chemical reaction?
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When methane burns, where do its four hydrogen atoms end up?
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Which equation for burning methane is balanced?
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