Final answer:
To balance the chemical equation C3H8 + O2 → CO2 + H2O, one must ensure that the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the equation. The balanced equation is 1C3H8 + 5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O.
Step-by-step explanation:
The objective is to balance the chemical equation:
C3H8 + O2 → CO2 + H2O
We need to equalize the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the reaction. Start by balancing the carbons (C) and hydrogens (H). Propane (C3H8) has 3 carbon and 8 hydrogen atoms, meaning we need 3 molecules of CO2 to balance the carbons and 4 molecules of H2O to balance the hydrogens.
Our partially balanced equation will look like this: C3H8 + O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O
We now have 10 oxygen atoms on the right side (3*2 from CO2 and 4 from H2O), so we need 5 O2 molecules on the reactant side to balance the oxygens. Therefore, the balanced equation is:
1C3H8 + 5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O