The diagram represents the products (CO2 and H2 O) f...

The diagram represents the products $\left(\mathrm{CO}_{2} \text { and } \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}\right) \mathrm{f}$ formed after \right. the combustion of a hydrocarbon (a compound containing only C and H atoms). Write an equation for the reaction. (Hint: The molar mass of the hydrocarbon is about $30 \mathrm{g}$.)

Key Concepts

Balancing Chemical Equations

Balancing chemical equations is the method of ensuring that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the reaction equation. This is a fundamental aspect of representing chemical reactions accurately and obeys the principle of conservation of mass.

Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry involves the calculation of reactants and products in chemical reactions. It is used to determine the correct ratios of molecules to balance chemical equations and ensure that the law of conservation of mass is satisfied.

Molar Mass Determination

Molar mass determination is the process of using the mass of a molecule to deduce its chemical formula. In combustion problems, knowing the approximate molar mass of a hydrocarbon helps in identifying the specific compound that undergoes combustion.

Hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons are organic compounds that consist solely of carbon and hydrogen atoms. They serve as common fuels, and their combustion typically leads to complete oxidation of carbon to carbon dioxide and hydrogen to water.

Combustion Reaction

A combustion reaction involves a substance, typically a fuel, reacting with oxygen to form combustion products, usually carbon dioxide and water when the fuel is a hydrocarbon. This reaction is exothermic, releasing energy in the form of heat and light.

Transcript

00:01 So for this problem, we have a diagram that shows a combustion reaction, and you want to find the actual equation for the reaction.

00:08 So as we can see from the diagram, we have three molecules, or three molecules of h2o, as well as two molecules of co2.

00:21 So those are our products that we know are balanced.

00:24 And then on the right hand, or on the left -hand side, we have some amount of oxygen that we don't know, and we have some hydrocarbon, which i will just call x.

00:36 So the first thing that we need to do is we need to balance this equation, or at least balance it to the extent that we can.

00:41 So that means that we should balance the oxygen right here.

00:46 So we have 3 oxygen from the h2o, and we have 4 oxygen from the co2.

00:53 So we should have 7 on the left -hand side, and in order to get 7, we're going to multiply this by 7 over 2.

01:01 But because we cannot have a fraction in our final balance equation, we need to multiply everything by 2, so you will get 2x plus 702 yields 6h2 plus 4 co2.

01:17 So that is our final balanced equation, and now we just want to find what x is.

01:21 And to do that, we're going to rely upon our understanding of the hydrogen, as well as the carbon in h2o and co2.

01:30 So we have 12 hydrogens from the h2, and we have 4 carbons from the co2.

01:40 So that means that that is going to be represented in x.

01:45 But because we have a 2 in front of here, we need to multiply or divide all these values by 2 so we get what x is...

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