For the reaction ?CH4+ ?O2 ==> ?CO2+ ?H2O, what is the maximum amount of CO2 (44.0095 g/mol) which could be formed from 3.67 g of CH4 (16.0425 g/mol) and 4.23 g of O2 (31.9988 g/mol)? Answer in units of g
I know that you have to balance the equation, so the coefficients 1, 2, 1, and 2, respectively, but I'm not sure what to do after that.
Yes, CH4 + O2 ==> CO2 + 2H2O
This is a limiting reagent (LR) problem and you know that because amounts are given for BOTH reactants.
mols CH4 = grams/molar mass
mols O2 = grams/ molar mass
Using the coefficients in the balanced equation convert mols CH4 to mols CO2.
Do the same to convert mols O2 to mols CO2.
It is likely that the two values will not agree which means one of them is wrong; the correct value in LR problem is ALWAYS the smaller one and the reagent producing the smaller value is the LR.
Now convert mols CO2 to grams. mol x molar mass = grams.
Thank you!
To find the maximum amount of CO2 that can be formed, you need to determine which reactant is limiting in the reaction. This can be done by comparing the amounts of each reactant to their stoichiometric coefficients.
First, let's convert the given masses of CH4 and O2 to moles using the molar mass:
Molar mass of CH4 (methane) = 16.0425 g/mol
Molar mass of O2 (oxygen) = 31.9988 g/mol
Number of moles of CH4 = mass / molar mass
Number of moles of CH4 = 3.67 g / 16.0425 g/mol ≈ 0.22855 mol
Number of moles of O2 = mass / molar mass
Number of moles of O2 = 4.23 g / 31.9988 g/mol ≈ 0.13220 mol
Now, let's use the balanced equation to determine the stoichiometric ratio between CH4 and CO2. From the balanced equation:
CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O
We can see that 1 mole of CH4 produces 1 mole of CO2.
Since 1 mole of CH4 yields 1 mole of CO2, the maximum moles of CO2 that can be formed is also 0.22855 mol.
Finally, to convert this to mass, use the molar mass of CO2:
Molar mass of CO2 = 44.0095 g/mol
Mass of CO2 = moles of CO2 × molar mass of CO2
Mass of CO2 = 0.22855 mol × 44.0095 g/mol
Mass of CO2 ≈ 10.06 g
Therefore, the maximum amount of CO2 that could be formed from 3.67 g of CH4 and 4.23 g of O2 is approximately 10.06 grams.