Sulfur dioxide, SO2\mathrm{SO_{2}}SO2, reacts with oxygen, O2\mathrm{O_{2}}O2, to form sulfur trioxide.
A student writes this equation:
SO2+O2→SO4\mathrm{SO_{2} + O_{2} \rightarrow SO_{4}}SO2+O2→SO4
Explain why the student's equation is not correct.
Give the balanced equation for the reaction. Use the smallest whole-number balancing numbers.
134 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Chemistry 3.1 Introducing chemical reactions, covering 3.1.1 Writing formulae and balanced chemical equations, 3.1.2 Formulae of compounds from ions, and state symbols, 3.1.3 Conservation of mass and observed changes in mass, 3.1.4 Half equations and balanced ionic equations, 3.1.5 The mole and the Avogadro constant, and 3.1.6 Stoichiometry, limiting reactants and reacting masses. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.