Question

Balance the chemical equation: C3H8 + O2 → CO2 + H2O

Answer 1

The balanced chemical equation for the combustion of propane (C3H8) with oxygen (O2) is C3H8 + 5 O2 → 3 CO2 + 4 H2O.

Step-by-step explanation:

To balance the chemical equation for the combustion of propane (C3H8), we must ensure the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation. We start by writing the unbalanced equation:

C3H8 + O2 → CO2 + H2O

Now, let's balance the carbon (C) atoms first by ensuring the number of CO2 molecules is equal to the number of carbon atoms in C3H8:

C3H8 + O2 → 3 CO2 + H2O

Next, we balance the hydrogen (H) atoms by adjusting the number of H2O molecules:

C3H8 + O2 → 3 CO2 + 4 H2O

Lastly, we balance the oxygen (O) atoms. There are a total of 10 oxygen atoms on the product side (3 from CO2 and 4 from H2O), which means we need 5 O2 molecules to provide those 10 oxygen atoms:

C3H8 + 5 O2 → 3 CO2 + 4 H2O

The final balanced chemical equation is:

C3H8 + 5 O2 → 3 CO2 + 4 H2O