The number of electrons lost in the following change is
`Fe+H_(2)OrarrFe_(3)O_(4)+H_(2)`

Options

A. `2`
B. `4`
C. `6`
D. `8`

Explanation

To determine the number of electrons lost in the reaction:

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

we will follow these steps:

### Step 1: Assign Oxidation States
- **Iron (Fe)** in its elemental form has an oxidation state of **0**.
- In **water (H₂O)**, hydrogen has an oxidation state of **+1** and oxygen has an oxidation state of **-2**.
- In **Fe₃O₄**, we need to calculate the oxidation state of iron:
- Let the oxidation state of iron be \( x \).
- The formula for Fe₃O₄ contains 3 iron atoms and 4 oxygen atoms.
- The equation can be set up as follows:

\[ 3x + 4(-2) = 0 \]

Simplifying this gives:

\[ 3x - 8 = 0 \implies 3x = 8 \implies x = \frac{8}{3} \]

### Step 2: Determine Change in Oxidation State
- The oxidation state of iron changes from **0** (in Fe) to **\(\frac{8}{3}\)** (in Fe₃O₄).
- The change in oxidation state for one iron atom is:

\[ \Delta \text{Oxidation State} = \frac{8}{3} - 0 = \frac{8}{3} \]

### Step 3: Calculate Total Electrons Lost
- Since there are **3 iron atoms** in the reaction, the total change in oxidation state for all iron atoms is:

\[ \text{Total Change} = 3 \times \frac{8}{3} = 8 \]

### Conclusion
- Therefore, the total number of electrons lost in the reaction is **8**.

### Final Answer
The number of electrons lost in the reaction is **8**.

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