During the combustion of methane (CH_4) to form water (H_2O) and carbon dioxide (CO_2), which bonds in the reactants are broken?

• A. C–H bonds in CH_4 and O=O bonds in O_2
• B. C=O bonds in CO_2 and H–O bonds in H_2O
• C. C–O bonds in CO_2 and H–H bonds in H_2
• D. C–C bonds in CH_4 and O–H bonds in H_2O

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the reactants and products in the combustion reaction of methane. The reactants are methane (CH_4) and oxygen (O_2), and the products are carbon dioxide (CO_2) and water (H_2O).
2. Recall that during a chemical reaction, bonds in the reactants are broken, and new bonds are formed to create the products.
3. Examine the molecular structure of methane (CH_4). It contains four C–H bonds that must be broken to rearrange atoms into products.
4. Look at the oxygen molecule (O_2). It has a double bond (O=O) that must be broken to allow oxygen atoms to combine with carbon and hydrogen from methane.
5. Conclude that the bonds broken in the reactants are the C–H bonds in methane and the O=O bonds in oxygen, since these are the bonds that must be broken to form the products.