Which conversion factor should be used to solve the following problem?
How many moles of water (H2O) would be produced from the reaction of 3.25 moles of hydrochloric acid (HCl) reacting with excess calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2?
Ca(OH)2 +2HCl --> CaCl2 + 2H2O
3.25 mol HCL x ?
2 mol HCl / 2 mol H2O
2 mol H2O / 2 mol HCl
2 mol HCl / 1 mol CaCl2
1 mol CaCl2 / 2 mol HCl
To determine which conversion factor to use, let's analyze the balanced chemical equation:
Ca(OH)2 + 2HCl -> CaCl2 + 2H2O
The coefficient in front of HCl indicates that for every 2 moles of HCl, 2 moles of H2O are produced. Therefore, the correct conversion factor to use is:
2 mol H2O / 2 mol HCl
This conversion factor states that for every 2 moles of H2O produced, we need 2 moles of HCl. Using this conversion factor, we can now calculate the amount of moles of water produced.