One method to produce hydrogen on an industrial on an industrial scale is the reaction of methane with overheated water vapour at 1100 K to form hydrogen and carbon monoxide . The reaction is known as steam reforming
Write the balanced equations for the steam reforming of methane .

Answer

To write the balanced equation for the steam reforming of methane, we need to follow these steps:

### Step 1: Write the unbalanced equation
The reactants in this reaction are methane (CH₄) and water vapor (H₂O). The products are hydrogen (H₂) and carbon monoxide (CO). Thus, the unbalanced equation can be written as:
\[ \text{CH}_4 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightarrow \text{H}_2 + \text{CO} \]

### Step 2: Balance the equation
Now, we need to balance the equation. We start by counting the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.

- On the left side (reactants):
- Carbon (C): 1 (from CH₄)
- Hydrogen (H): 4 (from CH₄) + 2 (from H₂O) = 6
- Oxygen (O): 1 (from H₂O)

- On the right side (products):
- Carbon (C): 1 (from CO)
- Hydrogen (H): 2 (from H₂)
- Oxygen (O): 0

To balance the hydrogen atoms, we can adjust the coefficients. We see that we have 6 hydrogen atoms on the left and only 2 on the right, so we need to have 3 H₂ on the product side. The balanced equation becomes:
\[ \text{CH}_4 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightarrow 3\text{H}_2 + \text{CO} \]

### Step 3: Final check
Now let's check if the equation is balanced:
- Left side:
- C: 1
- H: 4 (from CH₄) + 2 (from H₂O) = 6
- O: 1

- Right side:
- C: 1 (from CO)
- H: 3 × 2 = 6 (from 3 H₂)
- O: 1

Both sides have the same number of each type of atom, confirming that the equation is balanced.

### Final Balanced Equation
The balanced equation for the steam reforming of methane is:
\[ \text{CH}_4 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightarrow 3\text{H}_2 + \text{CO} \]

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