Consider the chemical equation: 2H_2 + O_2 ightarrow 2H_2O. How many reactants are involved in this reaction, and how many products are created?

• A. 2 reactants and 2 products
• B. 2 reactants and 1 product
• C. 1 reactant and 2 products
• D. 1 reactant and 1 product

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the reactants and products in the chemical equation. The reactants are the substances on the left side of the arrow, and the products are on the right side.
2. In the equation \$2H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2H_2O\(, the reactants are \)H_2\( and \)O_2$. Count how many different reactant species are present.
3. Next, look at the products side. Here, only \(H_2O\) appears as the product, even though it has a coefficient of 2, it is still one unique product species.
4. Summarize the counts: number of reactants is the count of unique substances on the left, and number of products is the count of unique substances on the right.
5. Conclude that there are 2 reactants (\(H_2\) and \(O_2\)) and 1 product (\(H_2O\)) in this reaction.