Question

Write the products and balance the following reaction for the complete combustion of ethane, C2H6.

C2H6(g)+O2(g)→?
Express your answer as a chemical equation. Identify all of the phases in your answer.

Answer 1

The complete combustion of Ethane (C2H6), or any hydrocarbon, involves its reaction with oxygen (O2) to produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) as products. The balanced chemical equation represents this process in terms of moles of reactants and products. Here's the balanced chemical equation:

2C2H6(g) + 7O2(g) → 4CO2(g) + 6H2O(g)

Quick breakdown:

On the left side (reactants), there are 2 moles of ethane (C2H6) and 7 moles of oxygen (O2).

On the right side (products), there are 4 moles of carbon dioxide (CO2) and 6 moles of water (H2O).

Heats are prodiced during this reaction

All species are in the gaseous state, denoted by (g).

Do remember, the law of conservation of mass dictates that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation.