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Propane, C3H8, is an alkane - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 18 - 2023 - Paper 2

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Propane, C3H8, is an alkane. Propane undergoes complete combustion in oxygen. Carbon dioxide and water are made. (a) Write the balanced symbol equation for the com... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:Propane, C3H8, is an alkane - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 18 - 2023 - Paper 2

Step 1

Write the balanced symbol equation for the complete combustion of propane.

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Answer

The complete combustion of propane can be expressed by the balanced chemical equation:

C3H8+5O23CO2+4H2OC_3H_8 + 5O_2 \rightarrow 3CO_2 + 4H_2O

In this reaction, one molecule of propane reacts with five molecules of oxygen to produce three molecules of carbon dioxide and four molecules of water.

Step 2

The table shows the energy given out when 1 g of different alkanes burn.

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Answer

From the table, we can observe the energies released by various alkanes when 1 gram is burned:

  • Methane (1 carbon atom): 55.6 kJ
  • Ethane (2 carbon atoms): 52.6 kJ
  • Propane (3 carbon atoms): 50.4 kJ
  • Butane (4 carbon atoms): 48.7 kJ
  • Pentane (5 carbon atoms): 48.4 kJ
  • Hexane (6 carbon atoms): 48.4 kJ

This data indicates that as the number of carbon atoms in the alkane increases, the energy released tends to decrease.

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