When steam is passed over red hot iron, the substance formed are:

Options

A. `Fe_(2)O_(3)+H_(2)`
B. `H_(2)+FeO`
C. `Fe_(3)O_(4)+H_(2)`
D. `Fe_(3)O_(4)+H_(2)`

Answer

To solve the question of what substances are formed when steam is passed over red hot iron, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Reaction
When steam (H₂O) is passed over red hot iron (Fe), a chemical reaction occurs. The red hot iron acts as a reducing agent.

**Hint:** Remember that a reducing agent is a substance that donates electrons to another substance, reducing its oxidation state.

### Step 2: Identify the Products
The steam is reduced to hydrogen gas (H₂) and iron oxide is formed. The specific type of iron oxide formed in this reaction is magnetite, which has the formula Fe₃O₄.

**Hint:** Recall that iron can form multiple oxides, and in this case, we are looking for the one that is produced when steam reacts with red hot iron.

### Step 3: Write the Balanced Chemical Equation
The balanced chemical equation for the reaction can be written as follows:

\[ 3 \text{Fe} + 4 \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightarrow \text{Fe}_3\text{O}_4 + 4 \text{H}_2 \]

This shows that three moles of iron react with four moles of steam to produce one mole of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) and four moles of hydrogen gas (H₂).

**Hint:** Balancing chemical equations is crucial to ensure that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation.

### Step 4: Conclusion
Thus, when steam is passed over red hot iron, the substances formed are magnetite (Fe₃O₄) and hydrogen gas (H₂).

**Final Answer:** The correct answer is that the substances formed are Fe₃O₄ (magnetite) and H₂ (hydrogen gas).