If the intial rate of the reaction produces 2 moles of water vapor, H2O, per second, what is the rate at which oxygen, O2, is consumed initially?
Is the reaction
2H2 + O2 ==> 2H2O
2 mols H2O/s x (1 mol O2/2 H2O) = 2 x 1/2 = ? mols O2/s.
To determine the rate at which oxygen, O2, is consumed initially, we need to consider the stoichiometry of the reaction.
Let's assume the balanced chemical equation for the reaction is:
2 H2 + O2 → 2 H2O
According to the equation, it takes one mole of O2 to produce two moles of H2O. Therefore, the rate at which oxygen is consumed is equal to half the rate at which water vapor is produced.
Given that the initial rate of the reaction produces 2 moles of water vapor per second, we can calculate the rate at which oxygen is consumed initially:
Rate of oxygen consumption = (1/2) * rate of water vapor production
Rate of oxygen consumption = (1/2) * 2 moles/sec
Rate of oxygen consumption = 1 mole/sec
Therefore, the rate at which oxygen is consumed initially in this reaction is 1 mole per second.