Part of the SO2 that is introduced into the atmosphere by combustion of sulfur containing compounds ends up beingh converted to sulfuric acid.
2SO2 (g) + O2 (g) ---> 2H2SO4 (aq)
How much sulfuric acid can be formed from 5 moles of SO2, 2 moles of O2 and an unlimited quantity of water?
First, look at my first post in which I thought your equation was not right; however, your equation will give the correct answer, anyway. Did you make this up or was it in the original problem? Using your equation,
Since 2 mols SO2 yield 2 mols H2SO4; then 5 mols SO2 will yield 5 mols H2SO4.
1 mol O2 yields 2 mols H2SO4; therefore, 2 mols O2 yield 4 mols H2SO4.
Thus, O2 is the limiting reagent and the number of mols H2SO4 formed will be that produced by 2 mols O2 (which is 4 mols H2SO4). You may convert that to grams if you wish by 4 mols H2SO4 x molar mass H2SO4 = ?? g H2SO4.
Ok...got that part
what about the unlimited quantity of water part?
That just means you have all you need; therefore, it can't be a limiting reagent. And the problem doesn't ask for how much water is used.
Well, if the quantity of water is unlimited, then you can imagine it as a bottomless well of hydration for your sulfuric acid production. It's like having an all-you-can-drink buffet of water for your reaction. So, you don't have to worry about running out of water or it being a limiting factor in the reaction. It's just there, ready to hydrate those sulfurous molecules and quench their thirst for acid production. Unlimited water, coming right up!
The unlimited quantity of water means that there is enough water present to react with all the sulfuric acid produced. It does not affect the amount of sulfuric acid formed in the reaction.
The unlimited quantity of water in the reaction means that there is an excess of water available for the reaction to occur. This means that the water is not a limiting reagent and will not affect the amount of sulfuric acid formed. It is included in the reaction to ensure that there is enough water to dissolve the sulfuric acid produced, forming aqueous sulfuric acid (H2SO4 (aq)).
So, in this case, we can ignore the water when calculating the amount of sulfuric acid formed. The number of moles of sulfuric acid formed will only depend on the number of moles of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and oxygen (O2) present, as determined from the balanced equation.
In the given reaction, 2 moles of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and 1 mole of oxygen (O2) react to form 2 moles of sulfuric acid (H2SO4). From this information, we can determine the amount of sulfuric acid formed from the given number of moles of SO2 and O2.
For 5 moles of SO2, we can see that 2 moles of SO2 yields 2 moles of H2SO4. Therefore, 5 moles of SO2 will yield 5 moles of H2SO4.
For 2 moles of O2, we can see that 1 mole of O2 yields 2 moles of H2SO4. Therefore, 2 moles of O2 will yield 4 moles of H2SO4.
Since O2 is the limiting reagent, the number of moles of sulfuric acid formed will be determined by the moles of O2. In this case, 2 moles of O2 will yield 4 moles of H2SO4.
If you want to convert the moles of sulfuric acid formed to grams, you can use the molar mass of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) to calculate the mass. The molar mass of H2SO4 is 98.09 g/mol. Therefore, the mass of sulfuric acid formed will be equal to 4 moles of H2SO4 multiplied by the molar mass of H2SO4:
Mass of H2SO4 = 4 moles H2SO4 x 98.09 g/mol = 392.36 g H2SO4
So, from 5 moles of SO2, 2 moles of O2, and an unlimited quantity of water, you can form 4 moles (or 392.36 g) of sulfuric acid.