here I have a (hopefully) balanced equation. Would you mind pointing out my errors, and explaining the right way to fix them? Thanks in advance.
C5H12 + O2 yields CO2 + H2O
I balanced this as: 2C5H12 +4O2 yields 5 CO2+6H2O.
C5H12 + 8O2 --->5CO2 + 6H2O
Great! Let's go through your balanced equation and see if there are any errors.
C5H12 + O2 → CO2 + H2O
To balance this equation, we need to make sure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.
Starting with carbon (C), we have 5 carbon atoms on the left side of the equation (in C5H12) and only 1 carbon atom on the right side. To balance carbon, we can place a coefficient of 5 in front of CO2:
C5H12 + O2 → 5CO2 + H2O
Next, let's balance the hydrogen (H). On the left side, we have 12 hydrogen atoms in C5H12, and on the right side, we have 2 hydrogen atoms in H2O. To balance hydrogen, we can place a coefficient of 6 in front of H2O:
C5H12 + O2 → 5CO2 + 6H2O
Now, let's balance the oxygen (O). On the left side, we have 2 oxygen atoms in O2, and on the right side, we have 10 oxygen atoms in 5CO2 and 6 oxygen atoms in 6H2O. The total number of oxygen atoms on the right side is 10 + 6 = 16. To balance oxygen, we can place a coefficient of 8 in front of O2:
C5H12 + 8O2 → 5CO2 + 6H2O
By following these steps, we have balanced the equation correctly.
The balanced equation is: C5H12 + 8O2 → 5CO2 + 6H2O