Leslie incorrectly balances an equation as 2c4h10 + 12o2 → 8co2 + 10h2o. which coefficient should she change? a.)2 b.)8 c.)10 d.)12

D.) 12

Explanation:

According to the law of conservation of mass, mass can neither be created nor be destroyed, and remains conserved. The mass of products must be same as that of the reactants.

Thus the number of atoms of each element must be same on both sides of the equation so as to keep the mass same and thus balanced chemical equations are written.

The number of atoms of oxygen are 26 ( 16 in and 10 in ) on product side and 24 (in ) on reactant side. Thus the coefficient 12 must be changed to 13 so that the number of atoms on the reactant side is also equal to 26 and a balanced chemical equation results.

The balanced chemical equation is:

atomic number of carbon is 6

electronic configuration of carbon is 1s²2s²2p²

orbital diagram of carbon is as shown here in the image.