Question

"Below is the unbalanced reaction for the combustion of butane. Balance the equation and determine how many moles of O₂ are needed to react completely with 4.9 moles of C₄H₁₀.

C₄H₁₀ + O₂= CO₂ + H₂0"

Answer 1

The combustion of butane (C4H10) can be balanced by adjusting the coefficients systematically, resulting in the balanced equation 2C4H10 + 13O2 → 8CO2 + 10H2O. To completely react with 4.9 moles of butane, you would need 31.85 moles of oxygen.

Step-by-step explanation:

Balancing the Combustion of Butane

To balance the combustion reaction for butane (C4H10), we first write the unbalanced equation:

C4H10 + O2 → CO2 + H2O

To balance it, we approach it step by step:

Begin with carbon: C4H10 + O2 → 4CO2 + H2ONext, balance hydrogen: C4H10 + O2 → 4CO2 + 5H2OFinally, balance oxygen: 2C4H10 + 13O2 → 8CO2 + 10H2O

Now that the equation is balanced, we can determine the amount of O2 required for 4.9 moles of C4H10. Based on the balanced equation, it takes 13 moles of O2 to react with 2 moles of C4H10, so for 4.9 moles:

(4.9 moles C4H10) × (13 moles O2 / 2 moles C4H10) = 31.85 moles O2