29These assumptions are critically important to equating volumetric ratios with molar ratios. First, the compared substances must both be gases: the volume of one mole of steam is huge compared to the volume of one mole of liquid water. Next, we cannot assume temperatures and pressures will be the same after a reaction as before. This is especially true for our example here, where ethane and oxygen are burning to produce water vapor and carbon dioxide: clearly, the products will be at a greater temperature than the reactants!