Question

chlorine dioxide (clo₂) is used in paper manufacturing to bleach wood pulp. in sunlight, decomposes into chlorine gas (cl₂) and oxygen gas (o₂). which model accurately represents this reaction?

Explanation:

Step1: Write the unbalanced chemical equation

The reaction is \( \text{ClO}_2
ightarrow \text{Cl}_2+\text{O}_2 \).

Step2: Balance the chemical equation

Count the number of atoms on both sides. For chlorine (\(Cl\)): 1 on the left and 2 on the right. For oxygen (\(O\)): 2 on the left and 2 on the right. Multiply \( \text{ClO}_2 \) by 2. The balanced equation is \( 2\text{ClO}_2
ightarrow \text{Cl}_2 + 2\text{O}_2 \).

Step3: Analyze the models

• The first model has 2 \( \text{ClO}_2 \) molecules (reactants), 1 \( \text{Cl}_2 \) molecule and 2 \( \text{O}_2 \) molecules (products), which matches the balanced equation.
• The second model has 1 \( \text{ClO}_2 \) molecule (reactant) which is unbalanced.
• The third model has incorrect bond - representation (assuming standard bond - count for \( \text{ClO}_2\) structure interpretation in such models).
• The fourth model has incorrect \( \text{Cl}_2 \) molecule count (2 \( \text{Cl}_2 \) molecules instead of 1 as per balanced equation).

Answer:

The first model (the top - most model among the given options) accurately represents the reaction.