Answer:
3
Explanation:
The unbalanced combustion reaction of the oxidation of propane is shown below as:-
[tex]C_3H_8+O_2\rightarrow CO_2+H_2O[/tex]
On the left hand side,
There are 3 carbon atoms and 8 hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms
On the right hand side,
There are 1 carbon atom and 2 hydrogen atoms and 3 oxygen atoms
Thus,
Right side, [tex]CO_2[/tex] must be multiplied by 3 and [tex]H_2O[/tex] by 4 so to balance carbon and hydrogen.
Left side, [tex]O_2[/tex] is multiplied by 5 so to balance the whole reaction.
Thus, the balanced reaction is:-
[tex]C_3H_8+5O_2\rightarrow 3CO_2+4H_2O[/tex]
Coefficient in front of the carbon dioxide in the balanced equation - 3
