What is the coefficient in front of carbon dioxide when the following equation is balanced?
C3H8(l) + O2(g) → H2O(g) + CO2(g)
a. 1
b. 3
c. 5
d. 6
C3H8(l) + 5O2(g) → 4H2O(g) + 3CO2(g)
To determine the coefficient in front of carbon dioxide (CO2) when balancing the given equation, we need to balance the number of atoms on each side of the equation.
Starting with the left side of the equation (Reactants):
- We have 3 carbon atoms (C) in C3H8.
- We have 8 hydrogen atoms (H) in C3H8.
Moving to the right side of the equation (Products):
- There are 2 hydrogen atoms (H) in H2O.
- There is 1 carbon atom (C) in CO2.
Now, let's balance the oxygen atoms (O). Since there are multiple oxygen atoms in both O2 and H2O, it's easier to balance them last.
Starting with the carbon (C) atoms:
- We have 3 carbon atoms on the left side (Reactants).
- There is only 1 carbon atom on the right side in CO2.
To balance the carbon atoms, we need to put a coefficient of 3 in front of CO2:
C3H8(l) + O2(g) → H2O(g) + 3CO2(g)
Now, let's balance the hydrogen (H) atoms:
- We have 8 hydrogen atoms on the left side (Reactants).
- There are 2 hydrogen atoms in H2O.
To balance the hydrogen atoms, we need to put a coefficient of 4 in front of H2O:
C3H8(l) + O2(g) → 4H2O(g) + 3CO2(g)
Finally, we can balance the oxygen (O) atoms:
- We have 2 oxygen atoms in O2.
- There are 4 oxygen atoms in H2O.
- Since we have 4 H2O, there are a total of 4 * 2 = 8 oxygen atoms.
To balance the oxygen atoms, we need to put a coefficient of 5 in front of O2:
C3H8(l) + 5O2(g) → 4H2O(g) + 3CO2(g)
Therefore, the coefficient in front of carbon dioxide (CO2) is 3. The correct answer is option b.
To balance the equation C3H8(l) + O2(g) → H2O(g) + CO2(g), we need to ensure that the number of each type of atom is the same on both sides of the equation.
On the left side of the equation, we have 3 carbon atoms in C3H8, and on the right side of the equation, we have 1 carbon atom in CO2.
Therefore, the coefficient in front of CO2 is 1.
So, the answer is a. 1.