How to balance a chemical equation.
Balancing chemical equations can seem tricky at first, especially when starting out. But by following an order it becomes a quick and easy task.
For the sake of this question, we'll balance this equation:
C5H12 + O2 → CO2 + H2O
It's easiest to start from left to right and work your way along until the equation is balanced, then any cancellation can be done.
1. C5H12 + O2 → CO2 + H2O
We can see there are 5 carbons on the left and only 1 on the right, so balance the carbons first.
2. C5H12 + O2 → 5CO2 + H2O2. C5H12 + O2 → 5CO2 + H2O
There are 12 hydrogens on the left but only 2 on the right, so multiply by 6 to balance.
3. C5H12 + O2 → 5CO2 + 6H2O3. C5H12 + O2 → 5CO2 + 6H2O
Now the right hand side has much more oxygens than the left, 10 from the 5CO2 and 6 from the 6H2O for a total of 16.
So, multiply the O2 on the left by 8 to get:
16.C5H12 + 8O2 → 5CO2 + H2O
And there you go, the equation is balanced. Working systematically works for even complicated equations.
