Question

Balance the following chemical equation (if necessary) for the combustion reaction of glucose.

a) C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O
b) C₆H₁₂O₆ + 7O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O
c) 2C₆H₁₂O₆ + 12O₂ → 12CO₂ + 12H₂O
d) 2C₆H₁₂O₆ + 13O₂ → 12CO₂ + 12H₂O

Answer 1

The balanced equation for the combustion of glucose is: C6H12O6 + 6 O2 → 6 CO2 + 6 H2O. This equation satisfies the conservation of mass by ensuring there are equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides of the reaction.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking how to balance the chemical equation for the combustion of glucose. Option (a) is the correct balanced equation. In this combustion reaction, one mole of glucose (C6H12O6) reacts with six moles of oxygen (O2) to yield six moles of carbon dioxide (CO2) and six moles of water (H2O). To balance this equation, we count the number of atoms of each element on the reactant side and ensure they are equal to the number on the product side. The balanced equation is: C6H12O6 + 6 O2 → 6 CO2 + 6 H2O. This shows that there are 6 carbon atoms, 12 hydrogen atoms, and 18 oxygen atoms on each side of the equation.