Question
What is the coefficient for oxygen in the balanced equation? C5H12 + O2 --> CO2 + H2O
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
To balance the combustion reaction of pentane (C₅H₁₂), we start with the unbalanced equation:
\[ \text{C}_5\text{H}_{12} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow \text{CO}_2 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \]
1. **Count the atoms of each element** in the reactants and products.
- On the left, we have 5 carbons from C₅H₁₂ and 12 hydrogens.
- On the right, the carbon in CO₂ and hydrogen in H₂O will need to match the 5 carbons and 12 hydrogens.
2. **Balance the carbon atoms**:
- We need 5 CO₂ molecules to balance the 5 carbon atoms:
\[ \text{C}_5\text{H}_{12} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 5 \text{CO}_2 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \]
3. **Balance the hydrogen atoms**:
- We have 12 hydrogen atoms in C₅H₁₂, so we need 6 H₂O molecules:
\[ \text{C}_5\text{H}_{12} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 5 \text{CO}_2 + 6 \text{H}_2\text{O} \]
4. **Count the total number of oxygen atoms needed in the products**:
- From the 5 CO₂, we have \(5 \times 2 = 10\) oxygen atoms.
- From the 6 H₂O, we have \(6 \times 1 = 6\) oxygen atoms.
- Total oxygen needed = \(10 + 6 = 16\) oxygen atoms.
5. **Relate the oxygen in O₂**:
- Since O₂ provides 2 oxygen atoms per molecule, we need \( \frac{16}{2} = 8\) O₂ molecules.
The final balanced equation is:
\[ \text{C}_5\text{H}_{12} + 8 \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 5 \text{CO}_2 + 6 \text{H}_2\text{O} \]
Therefore, the coefficient for oxygen (O₂) in the balanced equation is **8**.
\[ \text{C}_5\text{H}_{12} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow \text{CO}_2 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \]
1. **Count the atoms of each element** in the reactants and products.
- On the left, we have 5 carbons from C₅H₁₂ and 12 hydrogens.
- On the right, the carbon in CO₂ and hydrogen in H₂O will need to match the 5 carbons and 12 hydrogens.
2. **Balance the carbon atoms**:
- We need 5 CO₂ molecules to balance the 5 carbon atoms:
\[ \text{C}_5\text{H}_{12} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 5 \text{CO}_2 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \]
3. **Balance the hydrogen atoms**:
- We have 12 hydrogen atoms in C₅H₁₂, so we need 6 H₂O molecules:
\[ \text{C}_5\text{H}_{12} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 5 \text{CO}_2 + 6 \text{H}_2\text{O} \]
4. **Count the total number of oxygen atoms needed in the products**:
- From the 5 CO₂, we have \(5 \times 2 = 10\) oxygen atoms.
- From the 6 H₂O, we have \(6 \times 1 = 6\) oxygen atoms.
- Total oxygen needed = \(10 + 6 = 16\) oxygen atoms.
5. **Relate the oxygen in O₂**:
- Since O₂ provides 2 oxygen atoms per molecule, we need \( \frac{16}{2} = 8\) O₂ molecules.
The final balanced equation is:
\[ \text{C}_5\text{H}_{12} + 8 \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 5 \text{CO}_2 + 6 \text{H}_2\text{O} \]
Therefore, the coefficient for oxygen (O₂) in the balanced equation is **8**.