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Methane, ethane and butane all react with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water - AQA - GCSE Chemistry Combined Science - Question 7 - 2021 - Paper 1
Question 7
Methane, ethane and butane all react with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. Suggest why a mixture of methane and oxygen does not react at room temperature... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Methane, ethane and butane all react with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water - AQA - GCSE Chemistry Combined Science - Question 7 - 2021 - Paper 1
Step 1
Suggest why a mixture of methane and oxygen does not react at room temperature.
Answer
At room temperature, the particles in the mixture of methane (CH₄) and oxygen (O₂) have insufficient energy to overcome the activation energy barrier. Since the collisions between particles are not energetic enough, they do not lead to successful reactions.