What is the balanced chemical equation when C6H5CH3 (toluene) is reacted with O2?

Answer

To balance the combustion reaction of toluene (C6H5CH3) with oxygen (O2), we begin by writing the unbalanced equation: C6H5CH3 + O2 → CO2 + H2O. 1. Toluene has 9 carbon (C) atoms, 10 hydrogen (H) atoms. 2. For every carbon atom, one CO2 molecule is produced, so we will produce 7 CO2: C6H5CH3 + O2 → 7 CO2 + H2O. 3. For the 10 hydrogen atoms, 5 water (H2O) molecules will be produced: C6H5CH3 + O2 → 7 CO2 + 5 H2O. 4. Now, count the total oxygen atoms needed: We get 7 CO2 → 14 O atoms and 5 H2O → 5 O atoms, giving a total of 14 + 5 = 19 O atoms needed. 5. As O2 is diatomic, divide the number of oxygen atoms by 2: O2 = 19/2 = 9.5. This provides the number of O2 molecules required. 6. To avoid fractional coefficients in the final balanced equation, we'll multiply the entire equation by 2: 2 C6H5CH3 + 19 O2 → 14 CO2 + 10 H2O. Thus, the balanced equation is: 2 C6H5CH3 + 19 O2 → 14 CO2 + 10 H2O.