Question #5aa17

2 Answers
May 13, 2017

The chemical reaction is based from the number of moles of each species participating in the reaction and not by its volume.

Explanation:

This is how it works:

First, this is the reaction for the formation of water:
#H_2 + 1/2 O_2 rarr H_2O #

All chemical reactions are based on the number of moles (see those coefficients?) and not in their volume. Meaning 1 mole of #H_2#(hydrogen gas) will react with a half mole of #O_2#(oxygen gas) to form 1 mole of liquid water.

Jun 7, 2017

The answer lies in Avogadro's Hypothesis.

Explanation:

Avogadro's Hypothesis states that equal volumes of gases at the same temperature and pressure contain equal numbers of molecules.

The chemical equation for the formation of water is

#"2H"_2"(g)" + "O"_2"(g)" → 2"H"_2"O(g)"#

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We could also write

#"2 mL + 1 mL → 2 mL"#

or

#"100 mL + 50 mL → 100 mL"#

The volumes will always be in the same #2:1:2# ratio as the coefficients in the balanced chemical equation.