Question 3.4: Butyric acid (also known as butanoic acid, C4H8O2) is one of...
Butyric acid (also known as butanoic acid, C4H8O2) is one of many compounds found in milk fat. First isolated from rancid butter in 1869, butyric acid has received a great deal of attention in recent years as a potential anticancer agent. Assuming that the only products are CO2 and H2O, write and balance the equation for the metabolism of butyric acid.
Strategy Write an unbalanced equation to represent the combination of reactants and formation of products as stated in the problem, and then balance the equation.
Setup Metabolism in this context refers to the combination of C4H8O2 with O2 to produce CO2 and H2O.
C4H8O2(aq) + O2(g) → CO2(g) + H2O(l)
Balance the number of C atoms by changing the coefficient for CO2 from 1 to 4.
C4H8O2(aq) + O2(g) → 4CO2(g) + H2O(l)
Balance the number of H atoms by changing the coefficient for H2O from 1 to 4.
C4H8O2(aq) + O2(g) → 4CO2(g) + 4H2O(l)
Finally, balance the number of O atoms by changing the coefficient for O2 from 1 to 5.
C4H8O2(aq) + 5O2(g) → 4CO2(g) + 4H2O(l)