Final answer:
The balanced chemical equation for the combustion of the hydrocarbon(C3H5) is C3H5 + 5O2 -> 3CO2 + 5H2O.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a hydrocarbon burns in the air, it combines with oxygen (O2) to form carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). The combustion reaction of a hydrocarbon is a major source of energy in our society and releases a significant amount of energy. For the given formula C3H5, the balanced chemical equation for its combustion would be:
C3H5 + 5O2 -> 3CO2 + 5H2O
To balance this equation, we start by balancing the carbon and hydrogen atoms on both sides of the equation, followed by the oxygen atoms. Every carbon atom from the hydrocarbon turns into a molecule of CO2, and each pair of hydrogen atoms becomes a molecule of H2O. There are 3 carbon atoms and 5 hydrogen atoms in C3H5, resulting in 3 molecules of CO2 and 5/2 (which is 2.5, but we need to balance with whole numbers) molecules of H2O. When we multiply them to get whole numbers, this gives us 3 CO2 and 5 H2O.
The correct amount of oxygen needed on the reactant side must balance the oxygen atoms in 3 CO2 and 5 H2O, which totals 11 oxygen atoms. Since each molecule of oxygen gas (O2) has two oxygen atoms, we need 11/2 molecules of O2, which is 5.5. To balance the equation with whole numbers, we double everything, but since we're starting with C3H5 in the equation, we must maintain the stoichiometry, leaving us with 5 molecules of O2. So, the balanced equation involves 5 O2 molecules reacting with one C3H5 molecule to produce 3 CO2 molecules and 5 H2O molecules.
The correct choice is:
D) C3H5 + 5O2 -> 3CO2 + 5H2O