How many moles of butane do we need to produce 10 moles of CO2 by reaction with oxygen? I think the balanced equation is 2 C4H10 + 13 O2 -----> 8 CO2 + 10 H2O
yea you're right!
To determine the number of moles of butane (C4H10) needed to produce 10 moles of CO2 (carbon dioxide), you first need to use the balanced equation to determine the stoichiometric ratio between butane and CO2.
The balanced equation you provided is:
2 C4H10 + 13 O2 → 8 CO2 + 10 H2O
According to this equation, for every 2 moles of butane (C4H10), you produce 8 moles of CO2 (carbon dioxide). So, the stoichiometric ratio between butane and CO2 is 2:8, which can also be simplified to 1:4.
If we want to produce 10 moles of CO2, we can set up a proportion using this stoichiometric ratio:
(2 moles C4H10 / 8 moles CO2) = (x moles C4H10 / 10 moles CO2)
To solve for x, cross-multiply and divide:
2 * 10 = 8 * x
20 = 8x
x = 20/8
x = 2.5
Therefore, to produce 10 moles of CO2, you would need 2.5 moles of butane.