To understand why the given chemical equation [tex]\( \text{AgBr (s)} \rightarrow \text{Ag (s)} + \text{Br}_2 \text{(g)} \)[/tex] cannot occur as indicated, let's analyze it in detail:
1. Identify the elements involved:
- Silver (Ag)
- Bromine (Br)
2. Count and compare the atoms on both sides of the equation:
- On the left side:
- 1 Silver (Ag) atom
- 1 Bromine (Br) atom
- On the right side:
- 1 Silver (Ag) atom
- 2 Bromine (Br) atoms (because [tex]\( \text{Br}_2 \)[/tex] is a diatomic molecule)
3. Check for conservation of mass:
- According to the law of conservation of mass, the number of each type of atom must be the same on both sides of the equation.
- Here, the left side has:
- 1 Ag
- 1 Br
- And the right side has:
- 1 Ag
- 2 Br
Clearly, the number of bromine atoms is not the same on both sides, indicating that the equation is unbalanced.
Let's examine the options to see which one correctly explains why the reaction cannot occur as indicated by the unbalanced equation:
A. "There are more substances on the right side of the equation than on the left side."
- This statement is true in terms of bromine atoms, but it doesn't address the primary issue of why the reaction cannot occur.
B. "There is a gas on the right side of the equation but not on the left side."
- The state of matter (solid, liquid, gas) does not affect the balancing of atoms in a chemical equation.
C. "The bromine atoms must go through a liquid state before becoming a gas."
- This is a statement about the physical state changes of bromine, which is not relevant to the chemical balance.
D. "There is more mass represented on the right side of the equation than on the left side."
- The mass is directly related to the number of each type of atom. Since the number of bromine atoms is different, this option could be confusing.
E. "The bromine atoms on the right side of the equation are not bonded to another element."
- This statement effectively points out the issue with the unbalanced bromine atoms. In the given unbalanced equation, bromine atoms are paired on the right side ([tex]\( \text{Br}_2 \)[/tex]) and not bonded to silver or any other element, which is why the equation is unbalanced.
Given this analysis, the correct answer is:
E. The bromine atoms on the right side of the equation are not bonded to another element.
