When the equation below is balanced and all coefficients are in the lowest, whole number ratio, the coefficients are:
C2H6 + O2 �¨ CO2 + H2O
I am currently doing an online worksheet to improve in chemistry and I am not quite understanding how to find the coefficients and how to solve problems like these. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
C2 yields 2CO2
H6 yields 3H2O
but that leaves us with 7O, and O only comes in O2 molecules. So, double everything to get
2C2H6 + 7O2 = 4CO2 + 6H2O
on the left: 4C 12H 14O
on the right: 4C 12H 14O
it balances
Ah, balancing chemical equations, the ultimate act of making atoms feel equal and keeping them happy!
Let's break it down step by step. In this equation, we have C2H6 (ethane) reacting with O2 (oxygen) to produce CO2 (carbon dioxide) and H2O (water).
To start, we need to balance the carbon (C) atoms on both sides of the equation. There are two carbon atoms in ethane (C2H6) and one carbon atom in carbon dioxide (CO2). So, we put a "2" in front of CO2 to balance the carbon atoms:
C2H6 + O2 → 2 CO2 + H2O
Next, let's balance the hydrogen (H) atoms. There are six hydrogen atoms in ethane (C2H6), and two in water (H2O). We need to put a "3" in front of H2O to balance the hydrogen:
C2H6 + O2 → 2 CO2 + 3 H2O
Finally, let's balance the oxygen (O) atoms. On the left side, we have 7 oxygen atoms (2 from ethane and 5 from O2). On the right side, we have 9 oxygen atoms (2 from CO2 and 6 from water). We need to put a "7/2" in front of O2 to balance the oxygen:
C2H6 + 7/2 O2 → 2 CO2 + 3 H2O
Since coefficients must be whole numbers, we can multiply the entire equation by 2 to get rid of the fraction:
2 C2H6 + 7 O2 → 4 CO2 + 6 H2O
And there you have it! The coefficients, in the lowest whole number ratio, are:
2 C2H6 + 7 O2 → 4 CO2 + 6 H2O
Hope that helps you balance your chemical equations and brings some harmony to your chemistry journey!
To balance the given chemical equation, you need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. Here's a step-by-step approach to balance the equation C2H6 + O2 → CO2 + H2O:
1. Start by examining the equation and counting the number of atoms for each element on each side.
C2H6: 2 carbon atoms, 6 hydrogen atoms
O2: 2 oxygen atoms
CO2: 1 carbon atom, 2 oxygen atoms
H2O: 2 hydrogen atoms, 1 oxygen atom
2. Compare the number of atoms of different elements on each side and identify the element that appears in the highest number of different compounds.
In this case, carbon (C) appears in both C2H6 and CO2, so let's focus on balancing the number of carbon atoms first.
3. To balance the carbon atoms, place a coefficient in front of CO2 (carbon dioxide) to make the number of carbon atoms equal on both sides.
C2H6 + O2 → 2 CO2 + H2O
Now, there are 2 carbon atoms on both the reactant (C2H6) and product (2 CO2) sides.
4. Count the number of atoms for the remaining elements (hydrogen and oxygen) and adjust the coefficients to balance them.
On the reactant side: 6 hydrogen atoms, 2 oxygen atoms
On the product side: 4 hydrogen atoms, 2 oxygen atoms
To balance the hydrogen atoms, place a coefficient of 3 in front of H2O:
C2H6 + O2 → 2 CO2 + 3 H2O
Now, there are 6 hydrogen atoms on both sides.
To balance the oxygen atoms, adjust the coefficient in front of O2:
C2H6 + 7/2 O2 → 2 CO2 + 3 H2O
Now, there are 7 oxygen atoms on both sides.
5. Convert any fractional coefficients to whole numbers to obtain the lowest whole number ratio.
Multiply through by 2 to remove the fractions:
2 C2H6 + 7 O2 → 4 CO2 + 6 H2O
The coefficients in the balanced equation are:
C2H6 + O2 → CO2 + H2O
2 C2H6 + 7 O2 → 4 CO2 + 6 H2O
Therefore, the coefficients in the lowest, whole number ratio are:
2, 7, 4, 6
To balance chemical equations like the one you mentioned, you need to follow a few steps:
Step 1: Count the number of atoms on both sides of the equation. In this case, we have:
On the left side:
- 2 carbon atoms (C)
- 6 hydrogen atoms (H)
- 2 oxygen atoms (O)
On the right side:
- 1 carbon atom (C)
- 2 oxygen atoms (O)
- 2 hydrogen atoms (H)
Step 2: Start with the element that appears in the fewest number of atoms on either side. In this case, it's the carbon atom (C).
Step 3: Balance the carbon atoms by adjusting the coefficients in front of the molecules. Since there is only 1 carbon atom on the right side, we need to put a coefficient of 1 in front of CO2.
C2H6 + O2 �¨ 1CO2 + H2O
Step 4: Next, balance the hydrogen atoms. There are 6 hydrogen atoms on the left side and only 2 on the right side. To balance them, put a coefficient of 3 in front of H2O.
C2H6 + O2 �¨ 1CO2 + 3H2O
Step 5: Finally, balance the oxygen atoms. There are 2 oxygen atoms on the left side and 7 on the right side. To balance them, put a coefficient of 7/2 (or 3.5) in front of O2. However, we want whole numbers for the coefficients, so multiply all coefficients by 2 to remove the decimal:
2C2H6 + 7O2 �¨ 4CO2 + 6H2O
So, the balanced equation with all coefficients in the lowest, whole number ratio is: 2C2H6 + 7O2 �¨ 4CO2 + 6H2O