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What is the correct balanced equation for the combustion of hexane, C₆H₁₄? A C₆H₁₄ + 13O₂ → 6CO₂ + 7H₂O B C₆H₁₄ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 7H₂O C 2C₆H₁₄ + 19O₂ → 12CO₂ + 14H₂O D 2C₆H₁₄ + 26O₂ → 12CO₂ + 14H₂O - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 14 - 2023 - Paper 3
Question 14
What is the correct balanced equation for the combustion of hexane, C₆H₁₄? A C₆H₁₄ + 13O₂ → 6CO₂ + 7H₂O B C₆H₁₄ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 7H₂O C 2C₆H₁₄ + 19O₂ → 12CO₂ + 1... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:What is the correct balanced equation for the combustion of hexane, C₆H₁₄? A C₆H₁₄ + 13O₂ → 6CO₂ + 7H₂O B C₆H₁₄ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 7H₂O C 2C₆H₁₄ + 19O₂ → 12CO₂ + 14H₂O D 2C₆H₁₄ + 26O₂ → 12CO₂ + 14H₂O - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 14 - 2023 - Paper 3
Step 1
Identify the correct balanced equation for the combustion of hexane.
Answer
To determine the correct balanced equation for the combustion of hexane (C₆H₁₄), we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is balanced on both sides of the equation. Combustion of hydrocarbon generally produces carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O). The balanced equation must reflect this.
The unbalanced combustion reaction of hexane can be represented as:
We know hexane contains 6 carbon atoms and 14 hydrogen atoms, so in the combustion reaction, we will need:
- 6 CO₂ (for the 6 carbon atoms)
- 7 H₂O (for the 14 hydrogen atoms)
Thus, we can write:
Next, we need to calculate the amount of O₂ required:
- From the products, we have 6 CO₂ contributing 12 oxygen atoms and 7 H₂O contributing 7 oxygen atoms.
- Therefore, the total oxygen atoms required is 12 + 7 = 19.
- Since O₂ contains 2 oxygen atoms, we need:
- For balanced equations, coefficients should be whole numbers, hence we multiply the entire equation by 2:
Thus, based on the provided options, the correct answer is C: 2C₆H₁₄ + 19O₂ → 12CO₂ + 14H₂O.