One half of a balanced chemical equation is shown:
[tex]\[ 3 \text{Mg(OH)}_2 + 2 \text{H}_3\text{PO}_4 \][/tex]

Which lists the numbers of each atom the other half of the equation would contain?

A. [tex]\(3 \text{Mg}, 2 \text{P}, 14 \text{O}, 12 \text{H}\)[/tex]

B. [tex]\(\text{Mg}, 2 \text{P}, 14 \text{O}, 6 \text{H}\)[/tex]

C. [tex]\(3 \text{Mg}, 8 \text{P}, 7 \text{O}, 6 \text{H}\)[/tex]

D. [tex]\(6 \text{Mg}, 6 \text{P}, 2 \text{O}, 12 \text{H}\)[/tex]



Answer :

To determine the correct answer, let's analyze the balanced chemical reaction equation provided:

Given:
[tex]\[ 3 \, \text{Mg(OH)}_2 + 2 \, \text{H}_3\text{PO}_4 \][/tex]

We need to find the resulting products and the atom counts of each element on the other side of the equation.

Step 1: Write down the balanced chemical equation.

The balanced chemical reaction equation for this reactant combination is:
[tex]\[ 3 \, \text{Mg(OH)}_2 + 2 \, \text{H}_3\text{PO}_4 \rightarrow \text{Mg}_3(\text{PO}_4)_2 + 6 \, \text{H}_2\text{O} \][/tex]

Step 2: Identify and count atoms in the products.

Magnesium Phosphate ([tex]\( \text{Mg}_3(\text{PO}_4)_2 \)[/tex])
- Mg: [tex]\(3\)[/tex] atoms
- P: [tex]\(2\)[/tex] atoms
- O: [tex]\(4 \text{ oxygens per } \text{PO}_4 \times 2 \text{ PO}_4\text{ units} = 8 \text{ atoms of oxygen}\)[/tex]

Water ([tex]\( \text{H}_2\text{O} \)[/tex])
- [tex]\(6\)[/tex] units of [tex]\( \text{H}_2\text{O} \)[/tex]
- H: [tex]\(6 \text{ units} \times 2 \text{ hydrogens per unit} = 12 \text{ atoms of hydrogen}\)[/tex]
- O: [tex]\(6 \text{ units} \times 1 \text{ oxygen per unit} = 6 \text{ atoms of oxygen}\)[/tex]

Step 3: Sum the total number of atoms for each element.

Magnesium ([tex]\( \text{Mg} \)[/tex])
- Total: [tex]\(3\)[/tex] atoms

Phosphorus ([tex]\( \text{P} \)[/tex])
- Total: [tex]\(2\)[/tex] atoms

Oxygen ([tex]\( \text{O} \)[/tex])
- Total: [tex]\(8 \text{ (from phosphate)} + 6 \text{ (from water)} = 14 \text{ atoms}\)[/tex]

Hydrogen ([tex]\( \text{H} \)[/tex])
- Total: [tex]\(12 \text{ atoms}\)[/tex]

So, the resulting counts for the atoms are:
[tex]\[ 3 \text{ Mg}, 2 \text{ P}, 14 \text{ O}, 12 \text{ H} \][/tex]

Hence, the correct answer is:
[tex]\[ 3 \text{ Mg}, 2 \text{ P}, 14 \text{ O}, 12 \text{ H} \][/tex]