Final answer:
To balance the equation C8H18 + O2 --> CO2 + H2O, you can start by balancing the carbon and hydrogen atoms. There are 8 carbon atoms and 18 hydrogen atoms on the left side of the equation, and you can balance them by placing the coefficients 8 and 9 in front of CO2 and H2O, respectively. Next, you can balance the oxygen atoms by placing the coefficient 16 in front of O2. This gives you the balanced equation: C8H18 + 16O2 --> 8CO2 + 9H2O.
Step-by-step explanation:
A chemical equation in which the same number and types of atoms appear on each side of the arrow is called balanced. In order to balance an equation, insert coefficients in front of the appropriate reactants or products until there are the same number and types of atoms on both sides of the arrow.
When balancing a chemical equation, it is important to remember those elements that naturally occur as diatomic molecules, such as oxygen (O2) and hydrogen (H2). These elements should be written as diatomic molecules in the equation.
To balance the equation C8H18 + O2 --> CO2 + H2O, we can start by balancing the carbon and hydrogen atoms. There are 8 carbon atoms and 18 hydrogen atoms on the left side of the equation, and we can balance them by placing the coefficients 8 and 9 in front of CO2 and H2O, respectively.
Next, we can balance the oxygen atoms by placing the coefficient 16 in front of O2. This gives us the balanced equation: C8H18 + 16O2 --> 8CO2 + 9H2O.