Question
Propane (C3H8) and oxygen (O2) react to create water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Which option represents a balanced equation that demonstrates that mass and atoms are conserved during this chemical reaction?(1 point)
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To balance the chemical equation for the combustion of propane (C3H8), we start with the unbalanced equation:
\[ C_3H_8 + O_2 \rightarrow H_2O + CO_2 \]
Next, we balance the carbon atoms, hydrogen atoms, and oxygen atoms.
1. Balance the carbon atoms: There are 3 carbon atoms in propane, so we need 3 \(CO_2\) molecules.
2. Balance the hydrogen atoms: There are 8 hydrogen atoms in propane, so we need 4 \(H_2O\) molecules.
3. Finally, balance the oxygen atoms: On the right side, we have \(3 \times 2 = 6\) oxygen atoms from \(CO_2\) and \(4 \times 1 = 4\) oxygen atoms from \(H_2O\), totaling 10 oxygen atoms. Therefore, we need 5 \(O_2\) molecules on the left side.
Putting it all together, the balanced equation will be:
\[ C_3H_8 + 5 O_2 \rightarrow 4 H_2O + 3 CO_2 \]
This equation demonstrates that mass and atoms are conserved during the reaction, as the number of each type of atom is the same on both sides of the equation.
\[ C_3H_8 + O_2 \rightarrow H_2O + CO_2 \]
Next, we balance the carbon atoms, hydrogen atoms, and oxygen atoms.
1. Balance the carbon atoms: There are 3 carbon atoms in propane, so we need 3 \(CO_2\) molecules.
2. Balance the hydrogen atoms: There are 8 hydrogen atoms in propane, so we need 4 \(H_2O\) molecules.
3. Finally, balance the oxygen atoms: On the right side, we have \(3 \times 2 = 6\) oxygen atoms from \(CO_2\) and \(4 \times 1 = 4\) oxygen atoms from \(H_2O\), totaling 10 oxygen atoms. Therefore, we need 5 \(O_2\) molecules on the left side.
Putting it all together, the balanced equation will be:
\[ C_3H_8 + 5 O_2 \rightarrow 4 H_2O + 3 CO_2 \]
This equation demonstrates that mass and atoms are conserved during the reaction, as the number of each type of atom is the same on both sides of the equation.