C3H8+5O2--->3CO2+4H2O is this chemical equation correct and equal? If not why?
It is balanced.
To determine if the chemical equation C3H8 + 5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O is correct and balanced, we need to check if the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. Here's a step-by-step explanation of how to verify this equation:
1. Count the number of atoms for each element on the left side (reactants) and right side (products) of the equation:
Reactants:
- Carbon (C): 3 atoms
- Hydrogen (H): 8 atoms
- Oxygen (O): 10 atoms (5 from O2)
Products:
- Carbon (C): 3 atoms
- Hydrogen (H): 8 atoms
- Oxygen (O): 10 atoms (6 from CO2 + 4 from H2O)
2. Compare the counts obtained in step 1. If the number of atoms is the same for all elements on both sides of the equation, then the equation is balanced. Otherwise, it is unbalanced.
In this case, we can see that the counts for carbon and hydrogen match, but the count for oxygen is different on both sides. On the reactant side, there are 10 oxygen atoms, while on the product side, there are 10 oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide (CO2) and an additional 4 oxygen atoms from water (H2O), making a total of 14 oxygen atoms.
Hence, the given chemical equation is unbalanced. To balance it, we need to adjust the coefficients (numbers in front of the compounds) to make the number of atoms of each element equal on both sides.
Balanced equation: C3H8 + 5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O