Plants make their own food. The chemical reaction for this process is shown in the equation below.

[tex]\[ CO_2 + H_2O + \text{energy} \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + O_2 \][/tex]

What are the products in this chemical reaction?

A. [tex]\[ C_6H_{12}O_6 + \text{energy} \][/tex]
B. [tex]\[ CO_2 + H_2O \][/tex]
C. [tex]\[ H_2O + \text{energy} \][/tex]
D. [tex]\[ C_6H_{12}O_6 + O_2 \][/tex]



Answer :

In examining the given chemical reaction:

[tex]\[ \text{CO}_2 + \text{H}_2\text{O} + \text{energy} \rightarrow \text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6 + \text{O}_2 \][/tex]

we can distinguish the reactants from the products easily.

Reactants are the starting substances in a chemical reaction, found on the left-hand side of the equation. In this case, the reactants are:

- Carbon dioxide ([tex]\(\text{CO}_2\)[/tex])
- Water ([tex]\(\text{H}_2\text{O}\)[/tex])
- Energy

Products are the substances formed as a result of the chemical reaction, displayed on the right-hand side of the equation. Here, the products are:

- Glucose ([tex]\(\text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6\)[/tex])
- Oxygen ([tex]\(\text{O}_2\)[/tex])

Of the given options:

A. [tex]\(\text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6\)[/tex] + energy – This is incorrect because energy is not a product; it is a reactant.
B. [tex]\(\text{CO}_2\)[/tex] + [tex]\(\text{H}_2\text{O}\)[/tex] – Incorrect, these are the reactants.
C. [tex]\(\text{H}_2\text{O}\)[/tex] + energy – Incorrect, as both are reactants.
D. [tex]\(\text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6\)[/tex] + [tex]\(\text{O}_2\)[/tex] – This is correct, as both substances are products of the reaction.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

D. [tex]\(\text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6\)[/tex] + [tex]\(\text{O}_2\)[/tex]