calculate the volume of hydrogen that will combine with 40 litres of oxygen to form steam at 150°C and atmospheric pressure?
To calculate the volume of hydrogen that will combine with 40 liters of oxygen to form steam, we need to understand the stoichiometry of the reaction and use the ideal gas law. Let's break it down step by step:
1. Write the balanced chemical equation for the reaction:
2H₂ + O₂ -> 2H₂O
2. Determine the molar ratio between hydrogen and oxygen:
From the balanced equation, we can see that 2 moles of hydrogen react with 1 mole of oxygen to produce 2 moles of water.
3. Convert the volume of oxygen to moles:
Given that the volume of oxygen is 40 liters, we need to convert it to moles using the ideal gas law. Since we are dealing with gases at high temperatures and pressures, we cannot assume ideal behavior. However, at atmospheric pressure and high temperatures, the ideal gas law provides a sufficiently accurate approximation.
The ideal gas law is expressed as: PV = nRT
Here, P represents pressure, V is volume, n represents the number of moles, R is the ideal gas constant, and T is temperature.
We can rearrange the ideal gas law to solve for n (number of moles):
n = PV / RT
Assuming atmospheric pressure is around 1 atmosphere and converting the temperature to Kelvin (150°C = 423 K), we can plug in the values:
n = 1 atm * 40 L / (0.0821 L·atm/mol·K * 423 K)
n ≈ 1.12 moles of oxygen
4. Determine the moles of hydrogen required:
From the balanced equation, for every 1 mole of oxygen, we need 2 moles of hydrogen. So, since we have 1.12 moles of oxygen, we need 2 * 1.12 = 2.24 moles of hydrogen.
5. Convert moles of hydrogen to volume:
Similarly, we can use the ideal gas law to convert the moles of hydrogen to volume. Assuming the same temperature and pressure conditions, we can rearrange the ideal gas law again to solve for V (volume):
V = nRT / P
V = 2.24 mol * 0.0821 L·atm/mol·K * 423 K / 1 atm
V ≈ 76.86 liters
Therefore, approximately 76.86 liters of hydrogen will combine with 40 liters of oxygen to form steam at 150°C and atmospheric pressure.