Sodium oxide decomposes to produce oxygen gas and sodium metal Write and balance the following chemical equation

2Na2O (s) → 4Na (s) + O2 (g)

Explanation:

According to this question sodium oxide, Na2O, decomposes to produce oxygen gas, O2, and sodium metal, Na. The following represents the chemical equation;

Na2O (s) → Na (s) + O2 (g)

However, the above chemical equation is not balanced as the number of atoms of each element on both sides are not equal e.g. there are 2 moles of Na on one side and 1 mole on the other.

To balance the equation, we make use of coefficients to ensure that the atoms of each element on the reactant side are the same as that on the product side. The balanced equation is as follows:

2Na2O (s) → 4Na (s) + O2 (g)

a 20-cm-long, cylindrical graphite (pure carbon) rod is inserted into an oxidizing atmosphere at 1145 k and 1.013 x 105 pa pressure. the oxidizing process is limited by the diffu- sion of oxygen counterflow to the carbon monoxide that is formed on the cylindrical surface.