Question

During the combustion of 5.000 g of octane, C8H18, 239.5 kcal is released. Write a balanced equation for the combustion reaction. Express your answer as a chemical equation with whole number coefficients. Include phases.

Answer 1

The chemical equation for this combustion reaction is:

C8H18  +  O2  -->  CO2  +  H2O

 

Balancing by adding whole number coefficients:

2 C8H18  + 25 O2  -->  16 CO2  + 18 H2O

 

Including the phases:

2 C8H18 (l)  + 25 O2 (g)  -->  16 CO2 (g) + 18 H2O (l)

where g is gas and l is liquid