Photo AI
Magnesium reacts with chlorine - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 3 - 2020 - Paper 3
Question 3
Magnesium reacts with chlorine. Magnesium chloride is made. What is the balanced symbol equation for this reaction? A Mg + Cl → MgCl! B Mg + Cl₂ → MgCl₂ C 2Mg +... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Magnesium reacts with chlorine - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 3 - 2020 - Paper 3
Step 1
What is the balanced symbol equation for this reaction?
Answer
To find the balanced symbol equation for the reaction between magnesium (Mg) and chlorine (Cl₂) to form magnesium chloride (MgCl₂), we need to consider the number of atoms of each element involved.
-
Reactants Analysis:
- Magnesium (Mg) is a metal, and chlorine (Cl₂) is a diatomic molecule.
- Each molecule of chlorine provides 2 chlorine atoms.
-
Products Formation:
- Magnesium chloride is composed of one magnesium atom and two chlorine atoms.
-
Balancing the Equation:
- We need 2 chlorine atoms to react with 1 magnesium atom to form magnesium chloride. Therefore, the balanced equation becomes:
ightarrow ext{MgCl}_2$$
- Conclusion:
- The correct answer is option B: Mg + Cl₂ → MgCl₂.