Chapter 3: Problem 70
Consider the combustion of carbon monoxide (CO) in oxygen gas: $$ 2 \mathrm{CO}(g)+\mathrm{O}_{2}(g) \longrightarrow 2 \mathrm{CO}_{2}(g) $$ Starting with 3.60 moles of \(\mathrm{CO},\) calculate the number of moles of \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) produced if there is enough oxygen gas to react with all the CO.
Short Answer
Step by step solution
Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Stoichiometry
For example, in the combustion of carbon monoxide to form carbon dioxide, stoichiometry helps us calculate the exact amount of carbon dioxide produced when starting with a certain amount of carbon monoxide.
The balanced chemical equation is at the heart of stoichiometry, acting like a "recipe" for the reaction. In the equation provided: \[2\mathrm{CO}(g) + \mathrm{O}_2(g) \rightarrow 2\mathrm{CO}_2(g)\], each molecule or mole of a compound is symbolized by coefficients that illustrate how many units of each substance are involved.
These coefficients help create mole ratios, which are essential for stoichiometric calculations, allowing you to convert moles of one substance to moles of another using simple ratio calculations. For instance, every 2 moles of CO reacts to produce 2 moles of CO₂, giving you a mole ratio that simplifies your calculations.
Combustion Reactions
The combustion of carbon monoxide (CO) is a classic example of such a reaction, where CO combines with oxygen gas (O₂) to form carbon dioxide (CO₂). This particular reaction can be represented by the balanced chemical equation: \[2\mathrm{CO}(g) + \mathrm{O}_2(g) \rightarrow 2\mathrm{CO}_2(g)\].
Understanding combustion reactions is essential for both practical applications, such as energy production and environmental protection, by ensuring the complete burning of fuels to prevent toxic emissions like CO.
Moreover, these reactions showcase the importance of oxygen in the chemical process. Without sufficient oxygen, incomplete combustion occurs, leading to the formation of harmful substances.
Mole Concept
A mole is defined as the amount of substance that contains as many elementary entities as there are atoms in 12 grams of pure carbon-12 (\(^{12}C\)). This number is Avogadro's number, approximately \(6.022 \times 10^{23}\).
In the exercise, understanding the mole concept allows you to determine the number of moles of CO₂ produced from a known number of moles of CO. Since 3.60 moles of CO are provided, and the reaction has a 1:1 mole ratio, a straightforward calculation using the mole concept gives the same number of moles of CO₂, which is 3.60 moles.
Essentially, the mole concept enables chemists to work with the submicroscopic amount of substances, making calculations and predictions about chemical reactions more feasible.