What is the unbalanced equation for the combustion reaction of gaseous
C4H10 and gaseous oxygen to form gaseous carbon dioxide and gaseous water?
The word equation tells you.
C4H10(g) + O2(g) ==> H2O(g) + CO2(g)
2C4H10 + 13O2 ==> 8CO2 + 10H2O
To determine the unbalanced equation for the combustion reaction of gaseous C4H10 and gaseous oxygen, we need to follow a few steps:
Step 1: Write the chemical formula for C4H10 (butane), which consists of 4 carbon atoms and 10 hydrogen atoms: C4H10.
Step 2: Write the chemical formula for oxygen, which is simply O2.
Step 3: Identify the products of the combustion reaction: carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O).
Now, we can combine all the information to form the unbalanced equation:
C4H10 + O2 -> CO2 + H2O
However, this equation is still unbalanced as the number of atoms on both sides of the reaction is not equal. To balance the equation, we need to ensure that the number of atoms is the same on both sides.
Step 4: Begin by balancing the carbon atoms. In this case, there are 4 carbon atoms on the left side and only 1 carbon atom on the right side. To balance them, we need to put a coefficient of 4 in front of CO2:
C4H10 + O2 -> 4CO2 + H2O
Step 5: Next, balance the hydrogen atoms. There are 10 hydrogen atoms on the left side and only 2 hydrogen atoms on the right side. To balance them, we put a coefficient of 5 in front of H2O:
C4H10 + O2 -> 4CO2 + 5H2O
Step 6: Lastly, balance the oxygen atoms. There are 2 oxygen atoms in O2 on the left side and a total of 4+10=14 oxygen atoms on the right side (4 from CO2 and 10 from 5H2O). To balance them, we put a coefficient of 7/2 (or 3.5) in front of O2:
C4H10 + 7/2 O2 -> 4CO2 + 5H2O
However, it is standard practice to write whole-number coefficients in balanced equations. To achieve this, we can multiply the entire equation by 2:
2C4H10 + 7O2 -> 8CO2 + 10H2O
So, the balanced equation for the combustion reaction of gaseous C4H10 and gaseous oxygen to form gaseous carbon dioxide and gaseous water is:
2C4H10 + 7O2 -> 8CO2 + 10H2O