A furnace that provides heat by burning methane gas must have the correct mixture of air and fuel to operate efficiently. What is the mole ratio of air to methane gas in the combustion of methane? Hint: Air is 20% oxygen.
CH4 + 2O2 ==> CO2 + 2H2O
So 1L CH4 requires 2 L pure O2.
Since air is only 20% O2 (that's 1/5), then 1L CH4 requires 5*2 = 10L air.
Try it in reverse. 10L air x 0.2 = 2 moles pure O2.
mole ratio air/methane = 10/1
To determine the mole ratio of air to methane gas in the combustion process, we need to consider the stoichiometry of the reaction. The balanced equation for the combustion of methane can be written as:
CH₄ + 2O₂ → CO₂ + 2H₂O
From the balanced equation, we can see that the molar ratio between methane and oxygen is 1:2. This means that for every mole of methane we burn, we need 2 moles of oxygen.
Given that air consists of approximately 20% oxygen, we can calculate the mole ratio of air to methane gas. Assuming we have 100 moles of air, 20 moles (20% of 100 moles) will be oxygen.
Using the mole ratio, we know that for every mole of methane, we need 2 moles of oxygen. Therefore, for those 20 moles of oxygen, we would need 10 moles of methane.
Hence, the mole ratio of air to methane gas in the combustion of methane is 100 moles of air to 10 moles of methane.
To determine the mole ratio of air to methane gas in the combustion of methane, we need to consider the balanced chemical equation for the combustion reaction.
The balanced equation for the combustion of methane (CH4) is:
CH4 + 2O2 -> CO2 + 2H2O
From the balanced equation, we can see that the mole ratio between methane and oxygen is 1:2. This means that for every 1 mole of methane, we need 2 moles of oxygen.
Now, since air is approximately 20% oxygen, we can calculate the mole ratio of air to methane gas.
Assume we have 100 moles of air (which is 20% oxygen). Since air contains 20% oxygen, we have:
100 moles air * 0.20 = 20 moles oxygen
According to the balanced equation, 2 moles of oxygen are required for 1 mole of methane. Therefore, to calculate the mole ratio of air to methane gas, we divide the moles of oxygen by 2:
20 moles oxygen / 2 = 10 moles methane
Therefore, the mole ratio of air to methane gas in the combustion of methane is 10:1.