*According to the law of conservation of mass, the sum of the masses of the products is always equal to the sum of the masses of the reactants. Since atoms do not change from one type of atom that the reactants did.
*In this reaction, the total number of each type of atom in the products (water and the unknown) must equal the number of each type of atom in the reactant (ethanol), which is known. the number of each type of atom in the unknown (and thus the formula of the unknown) can be determined by subtracting the number of each type of atom in the known product from the number of each type of atom in the reactant.
*The reactants contain 2 carbon atoms, 6 hydrogen atoms, and 1 oxygen atom, and the known product contains 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom. the unknown product must contain 2 carbon atoms, 6-2=4 hydrogen atoms, and 1-1=0 oxygen atoms.
*The Formula of the unknown product is C 2 H 4 [or H 4 C 2].