Write and balance the equation for the complete combustion of ethane C2H6.

To write and balance the equation for the complete combustion of ethane (C₂H₆), we need to react ethane with oxygen (O₂) to produce carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O).

The unbalanced equation is:

C₂H₆ + O₂ → CO₂ + H₂O

Now let’s determine the balance for each element. Start by balancing the carbon (C) atoms. Ethane has 2 carbon atoms, so we need 2 CO₂:

C₂H₆ + O₂ → 2 CO₂ + H₂O

Next, balance the hydrogen (H) atoms. Ethane has 6 hydrogen atoms, which means we need 3 H₂O:

C₂H₆ + O₂ → 2 CO₂ + 3 H₂O

Now, we need to balance the oxygen (O) atoms. On the right side, we have:

• From 2 CO₂: 2 × 2 = 4 oxygen atoms
• From 3 H₂O: 3 × 1 = 3 oxygen atoms

This totals to 4 + 3 = 7 oxygen atoms needed on the left side. Since oxygen gas (O₂) is diatomic, we need 3.5 O₂.

Thus, the equation looks like this:

C₂H₆ + 3.5 O₂ → 2 CO₂ + 3 H₂O

To balance it with whole numbers, we can multiply the entire equation by 2:

2 C₂H₆ + 7 O₂ → 4 CO₂ + 6 H₂O

This is the balanced equation for the complete combustion of ethane.