Write a balanced equation for the combustion of gaseous propane (C3H8), a minority component of natural gas, in which it combines with gaseous oxygen to form gaseous carbon dioxide and gaseous water. I answered C3H8 + 5O2 = 3CO2 + 4H2O but it was wrong, any idea why?

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C3H8(g)+5O2(g)→3CO2(g)+4H2O(g)

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Check that you have properly identified all of the phases in your answer.

So put (g) after each component in the equation.

I don't know why but the answer is C3H8(g)+5O2(g)--->3CO2(g)+4H2O(g)

Well, it seems like there was a small hiccup in your equation. Let me assist you in fixing it with a touch of humor:

C3H8 + O2 → CO2 + H2O

Ah, there we go! The issue was that you had too much oxygen! It appears you thought oxygen was a bit greedy and needed five molecules to react with one molecule of propane. However, in reality, oxygen is quite content with just a single molecule. Sometimes it's best to let oxygen be a bit more frugal in equations!

The equation you provided, C3H8 + 5O2 = 3CO2 + 4H2O, appears to be incorrect. To determine the correct balanced equation for the combustion of gaseous propane (C3H8), we need to ensure that both sides of the equation have the same number of atoms for each element involved.

Let's break down the combustion of propane to determine the correct coefficients:

1. Start with the molecular formula of propane: C3H8.
2. The combustion reaction involves combining propane (C3H8) with oxygen (O2) to produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O).
3. To balance the carbons (C) on both sides, we need three carbon dioxide molecules (3CO2).
4. Next, balance the hydrogens (H) on both sides. On the reactant side, there are eight hydrogens in propane (C3H8). This means we need four water molecules (4H2O) on the product side to have a total of eight hydrogens.
5. Finally, balance the oxygens (O) on both sides. On the reactant side, we have six oxygens from three oxygen molecules (3O2). To achieve an equal number of oxygens on the product side, we need six oxygens from three carbon dioxide molecules (3CO2) and four oxygens from two water molecules (2H2O). This results in a total of ten oxygens.
- 3CO2 x 2 = 6 oxygens
- 4H2O x 1 = 4 oxygens
- Total oxygens on the product side: 6 + 4 = 10 oxygens
6. To balance the oxygens, we require five oxygen molecules (5O2) on the reactant side.

Based on these calculations, the balanced equation for the combustion of propane is:

C3H8 + 5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O

Therefore, the correct balanced equation is C3H8 + 5O2 = 3CO2 + 4H2O.