Hint , in complete combustion
all the carbon ends up as CO2 so 25 CO2
all the hydrogen ends up as water so 26H2O
Work out the number of O2 molecules you need to balance the equation.
C25H52 + 38O2 -> 25CO2 + 26H2O
In reality it is difficult to ensure complete combustion- candles burn with a smokey flame indicating that carbon is not fully oxidised.
The balanced equation would be; C25H52(s) + 38 O2(g) -> 25 CO2(g) + 26 H2O(l)
You're gonna need an enthalpy change of formation table.
Unbalanced: C25H52 + O2 → CO2 + H2O Balanced: C25H52 + 38 O2 → 25 CO2 + 26 H2O
Which paraffin wax (including the in-betweens)?2C20H42 + 61O2 -> 40CO2 + 42H2O:C25H52 + 38O2 -> 25CO2 + 26H2O:2C36H74 + 109O2 -> 72CO2 + 74H2O
2.08
The balanced equation would be; C25H52(s) + 38 O2(g) -> 25 CO2(g) + 26 H2O(l)
You're gonna need an enthalpy change of formation table.
I assume you're talking about burning a candle. Nope, it's a chemical change. Candle wax is a chemical, and when you burn the candle, the wax reacts with oxygen in the air to produce carbon dioxide and water vapor (neither of which you can see.) Any smoke you see if simply soot from the burning of the wick. (Looking a little deeper, wax, or paraffin, is a covalently bonded hydrocarbon alkane with the approximate formula C25H52. When it reacts with oxygen in a combustion reaction, the balanced equation for it is: C25H52 + 38O2 --> 25CO2 + 26H2O.)
Unbalanced: C25H52 + O2 → CO2 + H2O Balanced: C25H52 + 38 O2 → 25 CO2 + 26 H2O
It is happening in low O2 concentration. it wll form unburnt C atoms.
Which paraffin wax (including the in-betweens)?2C20H42 + 61O2 -> 40CO2 + 42H2O:C25H52 + 38O2 -> 25CO2 + 26H2O:2C36H74 + 109O2 -> 72CO2 + 74H2O
2.08
-1308.3 kJ
The equation for burning th candle can be this: Paraffin Wax (C25H52) + Oxygen (O2) → Carbon Dioxide (CO2) + Water Vapor (H2O) Following the similar train of thought, you can see that paraffin wax can be substitute with bees wax, soy wax. The nature of wax can differ, so those the compound. However, the chemical combustion formula stays the same. If you would like to learn more about candle making, please check out our blog post on ohcans candle.
#teamhandicap
Triacontane is similar to candle wax (C25H52) and, when burnt, will produce CO2 and water vapour: 2 C30H62 + 91 O2 -> 60 CO2 + 62 H2O (For the algebraically-minded, the general formula for combustion of any hydrocarbon is: CxHy + (x+y/4) O2 -> x CO2 + y/2 H2O.) Incomplete combustion will produce a mixture of carbon, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water - a bit more complicated! Combustion in air will produce oxides of nitrogen and potentially thousands of amines and other 'nasties'.
CombustionThe chemical change that occurs is that the atoms move around with the chemical change. Whereas the physical change will keep the candle moving in a normal way.Oxidation.The Hydrocarbon composition of the wax varies and is a mix of C20 to C40 so an exact equation can not be given. However, it is a standard combustion reaction. i.e. CxHy + (x + y/4) O2 ---> (y/2) H2O + (x) CO2The little numbers (subscripts) are coefficients. A chemistry reaction is like a math equation: whatever is on one side has to equal whatever is on the opposite side. The coefficients take care of that. They look confusing in the reaction shown because they are letters, but if you stick numbers in there it would be much easier to understand. Let us use an example of C25 which would be C25H52.C25H52 + 38 O2 ------- 25CO2 + 26 H2O + energy (heat and light)When you burn a candle, you are performing simple combustion reactions of this type. The oxygen comes from the air and the heat initially comes from an outside source such as a match. When this combustion reaction happens, it makes water and carbon dioxide as shown as well as heat and light energy. The coefficients tell us how much of each component is used and produced.The wick in a candle is also mainly hydrocarbon with oxygen also present and this also burns though at a much slower rate. When you light the wick, you provide a heat source and oxygen from the air. The smoke formed contains carbon dioxide and water and also some soot from inneficient combustion.