How do you balance #C_2H_6 + O_2 -> CH_3COOH + H_2O#?
1 Answer
Explanation:
First you want to do an atom inventory. Determine the number of atoms of each element that are on both side of the reaction arrow:
Reactants side:
C atoms = 2
H atoms = 6
O atoms = 2
Products side:
C atoms = 2
H atoms = 6
O atoms = 3
As we can see the only element that isn't balanced is oxygen. A simple approach to this would be to focus on the
Place a coefficient of 3/2 in front of
Then you'll end up with this
Since some people don't like the idea of fractional coefficients, you could multiply the entire chemical reaction by 2 to obtain whole number coefficients like so:
I hope this makes sense!