Question

Oxygen masks for producing \(\mathrm{O}_{2}\) in emergency situations contain potassium superoxide, \(\mathrm{KO}_{2}\). It reacts with \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) and \(\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}\) in exhaled air to produce oxygen: $$ 4 \mathrm{KO}_{2}(s)+2 \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}(g)+4 \mathrm{CO}_{2}(g) \longrightarrow 4 \mathrm{KHCO}_{3}(s)+3 \mathrm{O}_{2}(g) $$

Short answer

Also, what is the stoichiometry of the reaction? Answer: The reactants in this chemical equation are potassium superoxide (4 moles of KO2), water (2 moles of H2O), and carbon dioxide (4 moles of CO2). The products of the reaction are potassium bicarbonate (4 moles of KHCO3) and oxygen (3 moles of O2). The stoichiometry of this reaction states that for every 4 moles of KO2, 2 moles of H2O, and 4 moles of CO2, the reaction will produce 4 moles of KHCO3 and 3 moles of O2.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the chemical equation

The given balanced chemical equation represents a reaction between potassium superoxide (KO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and water (H2O) to produce potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) and oxygen (O2). It is crucial to identify the reactants and products in this equation. Reactants: - 4 moles of potassium superoxide (KO2) - 2 moles of water (H2O) - 4 moles of carbon dioxide (CO2) Products: - 4 moles of potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) - 3 moles of oxygen (O2)

Analyze the reaction conditions

Ensure to notice the given states of the substances in the reaction: - Potassium superoxide (KO2) is in solid state (s) - Water (H2O) is in gaseous state (g) - Carbon dioxide (CO2) is in gaseous state (g) - Potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) is in solid state (s) - Oxygen (O2) is in gaseous state (g)

Understand the stoichiometry

Observe the coefficients in the balanced chemical equation, which indicate the stoichiometric amounts, or the ratios between the number of moles of reactants and products: - For every 4 moles of potassium superoxide (KO2), 2 moles of water (H2O) and 4 moles of carbon dioxide (CO2) are needed to produce 4 moles of potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) and 3 moles of oxygen (O2). This stoichiometry helps to determine how much of each reactant is needed to produce a desired amount of the product. For instance, if you only have 2 moles of KO2, you would need 1 mole of H2O and 2 moles of CO2 to produce 2 moles of KHCO3 and 1.5 moles of O2.

Visualization of the reaction

To help visualize the reaction, you can view it as follows: 4 KO2 (s) + 2 H2O (g) + 4 CO2 (g) → 4 KHCO3 (s) + 3 O2 (g) - Potassium superoxide reacts with water and carbon dioxide. - When the solid KO2 reacts with gaseous H2O and gaseous CO2, it forms solid KHCO3. In this process, gaseous oxygen is released, which can be used for breathing in emergency situations.