Question

Methanol, H3COH, is used as the fuel in some race cars. Ethanol, C2H5OH, is used extensively as motor fuel in Brazil. Both methanol and ethanol produce CO2 and H2O when they burn. Write the chemical equations for these combustion reactions using Lewis structures instead of chemical formulas.

a) 2H₃COH + 3O₂ → 2CO₂ + 4H₂O
b) C₂H₅OH + 3O₂ → 2CO₂ + 3H₂O
c) 3H₃COH + 2O₂ → 3CO₂ + 4H₂O
d) 2C₂H₅OH + 5O₂ → 4CO₂ + 6H₂O

Answer 1

Lewis structures for the combustion of methanol and ethanol cannot be accurately depicted due to formatting limitations, but the balanced chemical equations can be confirmed as 2H3COH + 3O2 → 2CO2 + 4H2O for methanol and C2H5OH + 3O2 → 2CO2 + 3H2O for ethanol. The correct options are a,b.

Step-by-step explanation:

The chemical equations requested need to be written using Lewis structures for the combustion reactions of methanol (H3COH) and ethanol (C2H5OH). However, due to the limitations in formatting on this platform, it is not feasible to accurately portray Lewis structures.

Typically, Lewis structures involve graphical representation of atoms and their valence electrons to show bonding between atoms and the presence of lone pairs in a molecule.

A combustion reaction of these alcohols would consist of oxygen (O2) molecules reacting with methanol or ethanol to form carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). For methanol, the balanced reaction would be: 2H3COH + 3O2 → 2CO2 + 4H2O. For ethanol, the balanced reaction would be: C2H5OH + 3O2 → 2CO2 + 3H2O.

Again, I must note that a complete representation using Lewis structures cannot be provided here, but I can confirm the balanced chemical equations in terms of molecular formulas.

To truly understand the Lewis structures, I recommend consulting a chemistry textbook or an online resource with visual aids that can display the diagrams correctly. The correct options are a,b.