In this page, we will look at some examples of applying
Rule 3: Balancing chemical equations using the CHO technique.
If you are balancing equations that have carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms then balance the carbon atoms first, the hydrogen atoms second and the oxygen atoms last.
Example:
Balance the chemical equation
C5H12 + O2 → CO2 + H2O
Solution:
Step 1: Start with C. To balance the C put the coefficient of 5 for CO2
C5H12 + O2 → 5CO2 + H2O
Step 2: Then, balance the H by placing the coefficient of 6 for H2O
C5H12 + O2 → 5CO2 + 6H2O
Step 3: Lastly, balance the O by placing the coefficient of 8 for O2
C5H12 + 8O2 → 5CO2 + 6H2O
Step 4: Check that all the atoms balance and make sure that all coefficients are in the lowest-possible ratio.
The following videos show some examples of using the CHO method to balance chemical equations.
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