Question

Ethane, `C_2H_6`, reacts with molecular oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. How do you write the balanced chemical equation for this reaction?

Answer 1

`2C_2H_6+7O_2->4CO_2+6H_2O`

Explanation:

This is a combustion reaction of an alkane with oxygen. It is exothermic (`DeltaH<0`), and can be balanced in normal methods for balancing chemical equations ie ensuring that the total number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.