To determine the balanced equation for the reaction between ozone gas (O3) and 2,3,4,5-tetramethylheptane (C8H18), we first need to identify the molecular formulas of the products formed: carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O).
Let's start by writing the unbalanced equation for the reaction:
O3 + C8H18 → CO2 + H2O
Next, we need to balance the number of atoms on both sides of the equation. To achieve this, we can follow a step-by-step approach:
Step 1: Count the number of each type of atom on both sides of the equation.
On the left-hand side (reactants):
Oxygen (O): 3
Hydrogen (H): 18
Carbon (C): 8
On the right-hand side (products):
Oxygen (O): 2 (from CO2) + 1 (from H2O) = 3
Hydrogen (H): 2 (from H2O)
Carbon (C): 1 (from CO2)
Step 2: Balance the number of carbon atoms by modifying the coefficient in front of CO2 on the right-hand side (products).
Since there are 8 carbon atoms in the reactant, we assign the coefficient 8 to CO2:
O3 + C8H18 → 8CO2 + H2O
Step 3: Balance the number of hydrogen atoms by adjusting the coefficient in front of H2O:
Since there are 18 hydrogen atoms in the reactant and each H2O produces 2 hydrogen atoms, we assign the coefficient 9 to H2O:
O3 + C8H18 → 8CO2 + 9H2O
Step 4: Balance oxygen atoms by adjusting the coefficient in front of O3:
Since there are three oxygen atoms in each O3 molecule and we have 8 CO2 molecules, we will need 24 oxygen atoms in total. To equalize the number of oxygen atoms on both sides of the equation, we assign the coefficient 8 to O3:
8O3 + C8H18 → 8CO2 + 9H2O
Thus, the balanced equation for the reaction between ozone gas and 2,3,4,5-tetramethylheptane will be:
8O3 + C8H18 → 8CO2 + 9H2O