if 6.0g of carbon is heated in air, the mass of the product obtained could be either 22.0g or 14.0g depending on the amount of air present. with what law would this be in accordance? (C=12, O=16)

multiple proportions.

Verify it

This observation is in accordance with the Law of Multiple Proportions. The Law of Multiple Proportions states that when two elements combine to form different compounds, the mass of one element that combines with a fixed mass of the other element can be expressed as a ratio of small whole numbers.

In this case, carbon (C) is combining with oxygen (O) to form different compounds. The mass of carbon remains constant at 6.0g, while the mass of the product obtained varies depending on the amount of oxygen (air) present. The two possible masses of the product are 22.0g and 14.0g. These masses can be expressed as ratios (22.0g/6.0g and 14.0g/6.0g), which are small whole numbers (11/3 and 7/3).

Therefore, this observation is consistent with the Law of Multiple Proportions.

The situation described, where the mass of the product varies depending on the amount of air present, is in accordance with the law of definite proportions, also known as the law of constant composition.

The law of definite proportions states that a compound always contains the same elements in fixed proportions by mass. In other words, regardless of the quantity or source of a compound, the ratio of the masses of its constituent elements remains the same.

In this case, carbon is being heated in the presence of air, composed mostly of nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2). Depending on the amount of oxygen available, different amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) can be formed. The molecular formula of carbon dioxide is CO2, which means it contains one carbon atom (C) and two oxygen atoms (O).

To determine the possible masses of the product (carbon dioxide), we need to consider the mass of carbon (6.0 g) and the known atomic masses of carbon (C=12) and oxygen (O=16).

First, let's calculate the mass of carbon dioxide formed when 6.0 g of carbon is completely reacted with oxygen:
1 carbon atom (C) has a mass of 12 g
2 oxygen atoms (O) have a combined mass of 2 * 16 g = 32 g
So, the total mass of carbon dioxide formed would be 12 g + 32 g = 44 g.

Since the mass of the product obtained could either be 22.0 g or 14.0 g, let's analyze these values in relation to the known mass of 44 g.

If the mass of the product is 22.0 g, it represents exactly 50% (or one-half) of the theoretical mass of carbon dioxide (44 g). This suggests that 6.0 g of carbon has reacted with an equal mass of oxygen, resulting in 22.0 g of carbon dioxide. The ratio would be 1:1 between carbon and oxygen.

If the mass of the product is 14.0 g, it represents exactly 31.8% (or almost one-third) of the theoretical mass of carbon dioxide (44 g). This suggests that 6.0 g of carbon has reacted with a lesser mass of oxygen, resulting in 14.0 g of carbon dioxide. The ratio would be 1:0.68 between carbon and oxygen.

In both cases, the ratio of the masses of carbon to oxygen in the product is different, indicating that the product obtained is not following the law of definite proportions. This variation in the product mass can be attributed to the varying amount of air (specifically, oxygen) present during the reaction.

Therefore, the situation described is not in accordance with the law of definite proportions.