Water gas consists of

Options

A. water vapour and coal dust
B. a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen
C. a mixture of carbon monoxide and nitrogen
D. water vapour and methane

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding Water Gas**: Water gas is a type of fuel gas that is produced through a specific chemical process. It primarily consists of two gases: carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H₂).

2. **Production of Water Gas**: Water gas is generated by passing steam over incandescent coke. Incandescent coke is a form of carbon that is heated to a high temperature, which allows it to react with steam.

3. **Chemical Reaction**: The reaction that occurs can be summarized as follows:
- When steam (H₂O) comes into contact with incandescent coke (carbon), it reacts to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas:
\[ \text{C (s) + H}_2\text{O (g) } \rightarrow \text{CO (g) + H}_2\text{(g)} \]

4. **Composition of Water Gas**: From the reaction, we can see that the main components of water gas are:
- Carbon monoxide (CO)
- Hydrogen (H₂)

5. **Identifying the Correct Option**: Based on the composition of water gas, we can conclude that the correct answer to the question "Water gas consists of" is:
- A mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

6. **Final Answer**: Therefore, the correct option is the second one: "A mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen."

---