Rajat knows that in a thermite reaction, a compound of iron reacts with a metal. Help him understand more about the reaction.
Represent this reaction in the form of a balanced chemical equation.

Options

A. `Cu_2S + 2Cu_2O rarr 6Cu + SO_2`
B. `ZnCO_3 rarr ZnO + CO_2`
C. `3MnO_(2) + 4Al rarr 3Mn + 2Al_(2) O_3 +` Heat
D. `Fe_(2)O_3 +2Al rarr 2Fe + Al_2 O_3 ` + Heat

Answer

To help Rajat understand the thermite reaction and represent it in the form of a balanced chemical equation, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Thermite Reaction
The thermite reaction is an exothermic reaction that occurs between a metal oxide and a more reactive metal. In this case, the metal oxide is iron(III) oxide (Fe₂O₃), and the more reactive metal is aluminum (Al).

### Step 2: Write the Unbalanced Chemical Equation
The unbalanced chemical equation for the thermite reaction can be written as:
\[ \text{Fe}_2\text{O}_3 + \text{Al} \rightarrow \text{Al}_2\text{O}_3 + \text{Fe} \]

### Step 3: Identify the Number of Atoms
Now, we need to count the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation:
- Reactants:
- Iron (Fe): 2 (from Fe₂O₃)
- Oxygen (O): 3 (from Fe₂O₃)
- Aluminum (Al): 1
- Products:
- Aluminum (Al): 2 (from Al₂O₃)
- Iron (Fe): 1
- Oxygen (O): 3 (from Al₂O₃)

### Step 4: Balance the Equation
To balance the equation, we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides.

1. **Balance Iron (Fe)**: There are 2 Fe atoms in the reactants and 1 Fe atom in the products. We need to add a coefficient of 2 in front of Fe in the products:
\[ \text{Fe}_2\text{O}_3 + \text{Al} \rightarrow \text{Al}_2\text{O}_3 + 2\text{Fe} \]

2. **Balance Aluminum (Al)**: Now, we have 2 Al atoms in the products (from Al₂O₃) and only 1 Al atom in the reactants. We need to add a coefficient of 2 in front of Al in the reactants:
\[ \text{Fe}_2\text{O}_3 + 2\text{Al} \rightarrow \text{Al}_2\text{O}_3 + 2\text{Fe} \]

### Step 5: Final Balanced Equation
Now, the balanced chemical equation for the thermite reaction is:
\[ \text{Fe}_2\text{O}_3 + 2\text{Al} \rightarrow \text{Al}_2\text{O}_3 + 2\text{Fe} \]