Consider the unbalanced equation for the oxidation of butene.

[tex]\[ C_4H_8 + 6 O_2 \rightarrow CO_2 + H_2O \][/tex]

For each molecule of [tex]\( C_4H_8 \)[/tex] that reacts, how many molecules of carbon dioxide and water are produced?

A. Two carbon dioxide molecules and two water molecules

B. Four carbon dioxide molecules and four water molecules

C. Two carbon dioxide molecules and four water molecules

D. Four carbon dioxide molecules and two water molecules



Answer :

To balance the equation for the oxidation of butene ([tex]\(C_4H_8\)[/tex]), let's go through the steps to ensure the conservation of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation:

Given unbalanced equation:
[tex]\[ C_4H_8 + 6 O_2 \rightarrow CO_2 + H_2O \][/tex]

1. Balance the Carbons:
- On the reactant side, we have 4 carbon atoms in [tex]\(C_4H_8\)[/tex].
- On the product side, each [tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex] molecule contains 1 carbon atom.
- Therefore, we need 4 molecules of [tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex] to balance the carbon atoms.
[tex]\[ C_4H_8 + 6 O_2 \rightarrow 4 CO_2 + H_2O \][/tex]

2. Balance the Hydrogens:
- On the reactant side, we have 8 hydrogen atoms in [tex]\(C_4H_8\)[/tex].
- On the product side, each [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex] molecule contains 2 hydrogen atoms.
- Therefore, we need 4 molecules of [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex] to balance the hydrogen atoms.
[tex]\[ C_4H_8 + 6 O_2 \rightarrow 4 CO_2 + 4 H_2O \][/tex]

3. Verify the Oxygens:
- On the reactant side, we have 6 molecules of [tex]\(O_2\)[/tex], which gives [tex]\(6 \times 2 = 12\)[/tex] oxygen atoms.
- On the product side, each [tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex] molecule contains 2 oxygen atoms, and each [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex] molecule contains 1 oxygen atom.
- With 4 [tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex] molecules, we have [tex]\(4 \times 2 = 8\)[/tex] oxygen atoms from [tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex].
- With 4 [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex] molecules, we have [tex]\(4 \times 1 = 4\)[/tex] oxygen atoms from [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex].
- Thus, the total number of oxygen atoms on the product side is [tex]\(8 + 4 = 12\)[/tex], matching the reactant side.

Since the equation is now balanced, for each molecule of [tex]\(C_4H_8\)[/tex] that reacts, the balanced chemical equation produces 4 molecules of [tex]\(CO_2\)[/tex] and 4 molecules of [tex]\(H_2O\)[/tex].

Therefore, the correct answer is:
- Four carbon dioxide molecules and four water molecules

Hence, the answer is:
[tex]\[ \text{four carbon dioxide molecules and four water molecules} \][/tex]