balance the equation:C2H6 + O2 = CO2 + H2O
C2H6 + O2 = CO2 +H2O + Energy
To balance this chemical equation: C2H6 + O2 = CO2 + H2O, you need to ensure that the number of each type of atom is equal on both sides of the equation.
First, let's balance the carbon atoms. There are two carbon atoms on the left side (C2H6) and one carbon atom on the right side (CO2). To balance the carbon, we can put a coefficient of 2 in front of CO2:
C2H6 + O2 = 2CO2 + H2O
Next, let's balance the hydrogen atoms. There are six hydrogen atoms on the left side (C2H6) and two hydrogen atoms on the right side (H2O). To balance the hydrogen, we can put a coefficient of 3 in front of H2O:
C2H6 + O2 = 2CO2 + 3H2O
Finally, let's balance the oxygen atoms. There are two oxygen atoms on the left side (O2) and four oxygen atoms on the right side (2CO2 + 3H2O). To balance the oxygen, we can put a coefficient of 7/2 in front of O2 (since O2 is a diatomic molecule):
C2H6 + (7/2)O2 = 2CO2 + 3H2O
But, it is best to have whole numbers as coefficients, so we can multiply the entire equation by 2 to get rid of the fraction:
2C2H6 + 7O2 = 4CO2 + 6H2O
And that's the balanced equation: 2C2H6 + 7O2 = 4CO2 + 6H2O