What is the balanced chemical equation for the reaction between carbon monoxide, CO, and hydrogen gas, H_2, to make CH_2OH?

1 Answer
David G.
May 21, 2017

The balanced equation is:

CO + 3/2H_2 -> CH_2OH

Explanation:

The unbalanced equation is:

CO + H_2 -> CH_2OH

Since there is already one mole of carbon (C) and one mole of oxygen (O) on each side of the equation, we only need to balance hydrogen (H). There are 2 moles on the left and 3 on the right. We can multiply the number of moles of H_2 by 3/2:

CO + 3/2H_2 -> CH_2OH

This is a correct, balanced chemical equation.

If fractional coefficients make you uncomfortable, though, it would be possible to multiply all coefficients by 2:

2CO + 3H_2 -> 2CH_2OH

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