Question

name:

1. write the chemical reaction for the oxygen candle and balance it.

Explanation:

Step1: Identify Reactant and Product

Oxygen candles often use sodium chlorate ($\ce{NaClO3}$) as the reactant, which decomposes to produce sodium chloride ($\ce{NaCl}$) and oxygen ($\ce{O2}$). The unbalanced reaction is $\ce{NaClO3 -> NaCl + O2}$.

Step2: Balance the Equation

• For Na: 1 on left, 1 on right (balanced).
• For Cl: 1 on left, 1 on right (balanced).
• For O: 3 on left, 2 on right. Find LCM of 3 and 2, which is 6. So, put 2 in front of $\ce{NaClO3}$ (gives 6 O) and 3 in front of $\ce{O2}$ (gives 6 O). Then, adjust Na and Cl: put 2 in front of $\ce{NaCl}$. The balanced equation is $\ce{2NaClO3 -> 2NaCl + 3O2}$.

Answer:

The chemical reaction for the oxygen candle (using sodium chlorate) and its balanced form is $\boldsymbol{\ce{2NaClO3 -> 2NaCl + 3O2}}$ (Note: If a different reactant like potassium chlorate is considered, the balanced equation would be $\ce{2KClO3 -> 2KCl + 3O2}$, but sodium chlorate is a common oxygen candle reactant).