Select the correct answer.

Which of the following is a correctly balanced equation?

A. [tex]NaClO_3 \rightarrow NaCl + 3 O_2[/tex]

B. [tex]2 H_2O \rightarrow 2 H_2 + O_2[/tex]

C. [tex]2 ZnS + O_2 \rightarrow 2 ZnO + 2 SO_2[/tex]

D. [tex]4 CO + Fe_3O_4 \rightarrow 4 CO_2 + 3 Fe[/tex]

E. [tex]2 Fe + 3 Cl_2 \rightarrow 2 FeCl_3[/tex]



Answer :

To determine which of the given chemical equations is correctly balanced, we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both the reactant and product sides of the equation. Let's analyze each option step-by-step.

### Option A: [tex]\( NaClO_3 \rightarrow NaCl + 3 O_2 \)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- [tex]\( Na: 1 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( Cl: 1 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( O: 3 \)[/tex]

- Products:
- [tex]\( Na: 1 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( Cl: 1 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( O: 6 \)[/tex]

The number of oxygen atoms is not balanced (3 on the reactant side but 6 on the product side).

### Option B: [tex]\( 2 H - O \rightarrow 2 Hg + O_2 \)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- [tex]\( H: 2 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( O: 1 \)[/tex]

- Products:
- [tex]\( Hg: 2 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( O: 2 \)[/tex]

The number of atoms for hydrogen and mercury are unaccounted for, and the oxygen atoms are not properly paired between reactants and products.

### Option C: [tex]\( 2 ZnS + O_2 \rightarrow 2 ZnO + 2 SO_2 \)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- [tex]\( Zn: 2 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( S: 2 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( O: 2 \)[/tex]

- Products:
- [tex]\( Zn: 2 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( O: 6 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( S: 2 \)[/tex]

The number of oxygen atoms is not balanced (2 on the reactant side but 6 on the product side).

### Option D: [tex]\( 4 CO + Fe_3O_4 \rightarrow 4 CO_2 + Fe \)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- [tex]\( C: 4 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( O: 8 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( Fe: 3 \)[/tex]

- Products:
- [tex]\( C: 4 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( O: 8 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( Fe: 1 \)[/tex]

The number of iron atoms is not balanced (3 on the reactant side but only 1 on the product side).

### Option E: [tex]\( 2 Fe + 2 Cl_2 \rightarrow 2 FeCl_3 \)[/tex]
- Reactants:
- [tex]\( Fe: 2 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( Cl: 4 \)[/tex]

- Products:
- [tex]\( Fe: 2 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( Cl: 6 \)[/tex]

The number of chlorine atoms is not balanced (4 on the reactant side but 6 on the product side).

After evaluating all the options, we find that none of the given chemical equations are balanced correctly.

Thus, the correct answer is that none of the options (A, B, C, D, and E) represent a balanced equation, and the correct choice is:
```
None of the above.
```

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