Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) is prepared commercially from elemental sulfur using the contact
process. In a typical sequence of reactions,
the sulfur is first burned:S + O2 → SO2 ,
then it is converted to SO3 using a catalyst:
2 SO2 + O2 → 2 SO3 .
The resulting SO3 is reacted with water to
produce the desired product:
SO3 + H2O → H2SO4 .
How much sulfuric acid could be prepared
from 29 moles of sulfur?
Answer in units of g
To calculate the amount of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) that can be prepared from 29 moles of sulfur, we need to determine the stoichiometry of the reaction and the molar mass of sulfuric acid.
The balanced chemical equation for the conversion of sulfur (S) to sulfuric acid (H2SO4) is as follows:
S + O2 → SO2
2 SO2 + O2 → 2 SO3
SO3 + H2O → H2SO4
From the balanced equations, we can see that 1 mole of sulfur (S) reacts to produce 1 mole of sulfur dioxide (SO2), and subsequently, 1 mole of sulfur dioxide reacts to produce 1 mole of sulfur trioxide (SO3). Finally, 1 mole of sulfur trioxide reacts with water (H2O) to produce 1 mole of sulfuric acid (H2SO4).
Therefore, the amount of sulfuric acid that can be prepared from 29 moles of sulfur is also 29 moles.
To convert moles to grams, we need to multiply the number of moles by the molar mass of sulfuric acid (98.09 g/mol).
So, 29 moles of sulfuric acid is equal to:
29 moles x 98.09 g/mol = 2,843.61 g
Therefore, 29 moles of sulfur can be converted to 2,843.61 grams of sulfuric acid.
To calculate the amount of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) that can be prepared from 29 moles of sulfur (S), we first need to determine the molar mass of sulfuric acid.
The molar mass of sulfur (S) is approximately 32.06 g/mol. And the molar mass of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) can be calculated as follows:
2(1.01 g/mol for hydrogen) + 32.06 g/mol for sulfur + 4(16.00 g/mol for oxygen)
= 2.02 g/mol + 32.06 g/mol + 64.00 g/mol
= 98.08 g/mol
Next, we can calculate the amount of sulfuric acid that can be prepared by starting with 29 moles of sulfur. Since the balanced chemical equation shows that 1 mole of sulfur reacts to produce 1 mole of sulfuric acid, the moles of sulfuric acid formed will be equal to the moles of sulfur:
29 moles of sulfur x (98.08 g/mol sulfuric acid / 1 mole of sulfuric acid)
= 2841.52 g of sulfuric acid
Therefore, 29 moles of sulfur can produce 2841.52 grams of sulfuric acid.