Question

Propane, C3H8, burns to produce carbon dioxide and water by the equation below. What is the coefficient in front of the carbon dioxide in the balanced equation?

C₃H₈ + O₂ → CO₂ + H₂O

a.1

b. 2

c. 3

d. 6

Answer 1

In the combustion of propane (C3H8), the coefficient in front of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the balanced equation is 3, which corresponds to option (c). This ensures that there are an equal number of carbon atoms on both sides of the chemical equation.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the coefficient in front of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the balanced equation for the combustion of propane (C₃H₈), we start by writing the unbalanced chemical equation as follows:

C₃H₈ (l) + O₂(g) → CO₂(g) + H₂O(l)

To balance the equation, we must have the same number of each type of atom on both sides of the equation. Starting with carbon, since there are 3 carbon atoms in C₃H₈, we will need 3 molecules of CO₂ to balance the carbon atoms. This gives us the following partially balanced equation:

C₃H₈ (l) + O₂(g) → 3 CO₂(g) + H₂O(l)

Therefore, the coefficient in front of CO₂ in the balanced equation is 3, which corresponds to option (c). So the balanced chemical equation, with all elements balanced, would ultimately look like this (assuming the water produced is in gas form, as is typical at the high temperatures of combustion reactions):

C₃H₈ (l) + 5O₂(g) → 3 CO₂(g) + 4H₂O(g)