Ethane,C₂H₆ ,is a component of natural gas and is used in home gas ranges. In the balanced equation for this reaction what is the coefficient of water?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The balanced equation for the combustion of ethane is:
C2H6 + 3.5O2 → 2CO2 + 3H2O
The coefficient of water is 3, which is less than 4, so the answer is A. However, this is not a balanced equation. To balance it, we need to add a coefficient of 2 in front of CO2 and a coefficient of 7/2 (or 4) in front of O2, which gives us:
C2H6 + 7/2O2 → 2CO2 + 3H2O
Now the coefficient of water is 3, which is the answer C.

Ethane,C2H6 ,Is a Component of Natural Gas and Is Used

Ethane,C₂H₆ ,Is a Component of Natural Gas and Is Used