Butane (C4H10) • Oxygen > Carbon dioxide - Water
Answers
Answer:
here is your balanced equation explained step by step
final balanced equation:2 C 4 H 10 + 13 O 2 = 8 CO 2 + 10 H 2 O
Explanation:
Butane (C4H10) • Oxygen > Carbon dioxide - Water
This unbalanced equation represents the complete combustion of butane in oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water.
Since there is only one product on the right-hand side of the equation which contains hydrogen (water), then all of the hydrogen in the butane will produce only water molecules. Butane has ten hydrogen atoms, so the water produced must contain 10 hydrogen atoms too. Therefore there must be five water molecules in the balanced equation. We can now write a new equation which is closer to the balanced state than the one we were first given;-
C 4 H 10 + O 2 = 4 CO 2 + 5 H 2 O
Now, all that remains is to balance the oxygen on both sides of the equation.
There are two oxygen atoms on the left and a total of thirteen on the right. (8 from the CO2 and 5 from the H2O). But an oxygen molecule contains two oxygen atoms. How can we balance the uneven number of oxygen atoms on the right with a whole number of oxygen molecules on the left?
The easiest way is to multiply all the terms in the equation by two, which will give us an even number of oxygen atoms on both sides of the equation, while ensuring that both carbon and hydrogen still remain balanced;-
2 C 4 H 10 + 2 O 2 = 8 CO 2 + 10 H 2 O
The next step is to balance the 26 oxygen atoms on the right with an equivalent number of oxygen molecules on the left. Since 26 oxygen atoms represents 13 oxygen molecules, then all we need to do is change the number of oxygen molecules in the last equation to 13, which gives us;-
2 C 4 H 10 + 13 O 2 = 8 CO 2 + 10 H 2 O
Now the equation is balanced for all elements. We have 8 carbon atoms, 26 oxygen atoms and 20 hydrogen atoms on the left…. and exactly the same number of each on the right.
final balanced equation:2 C 4 H 10 + 13 O 2 = 8 CO 2 + 10 H 2 O
Job done!