How many grams of CO2 are formed if 10.0 g of carbon are burned?
C + O2 ----------> CO2
a
38 grams
b
38.7 grams
c
36.7 grams
d
36.0 grams
b) 38.7 grams
Explanation:
First, we need to write the balanced chemical equation for the combustion of carbon:
C + O2 -> CO2
This tells us that for every mole of carbon (12.01 grams), we need one mole of O2 (32.00 grams) to produce one mole of CO2 (44.01 grams).
Using this information, we can set up a proportion:
10.0 g C / 12.01 g mol^-1 C = x g CO2 / 44.01 g mol^-1 CO2
Solving for x:
x = (10.0 g C * 44.01 g mol^-1 CO2) / (12.01 g mol^-1 C)
x = 36.65 g CO2
Rounding to the nearest tenth gives us 38.7 grams of CO2 formed.
To determine the answer, we need to use the molar mass of carbon (C) and the stoichiometry of the balanced chemical equation.
The molar mass of carbon (C) is 12.01 g/mol.
By analyzing the balanced equation, we can see that for every 1 mole of carbon burned, 1 mole of carbon dioxide (CO2) is formed. Therefore, the ratio of the molar masses can be used to calculate the grams of CO2 formed.
So, for 10.0 g of carbon, we can calculate the number of moles by dividing the mass by the molar mass:
10.0 g C / 12.01 g/mol C = 0.833 mol C
Since the ratio is 1:1, the number of moles of CO2 formed will be the same as the number of moles of carbon burned:
0.833 mol CO2
To convert moles of CO2 to grams, we multiply by the molar mass of CO2, which is 44.01 g/mol:
0.833 mol CO2 * 44.01 g/mol CO2 = 36.7 g CO2
Therefore, the correct answer is c) 36.7 grams of CO2 are formed when 10.0 grams of carbon are burned.