How many grams of chlorine gas could be produced by the decomposition of 58.5g of sodium chloride according to the following equation.?
2NaCl = 2Na + Cl2
Follow the steps in this worked example.
http://www.jiskha.com/science/chemistry/stoichiometry.html
To determine the amount of chlorine gas produced by the decomposition of 58.5g of sodium chloride (NaCl):
Step 1: Find the molar mass of sodium chloride (NaCl).
The molar mass of sodium (Na) is 22.99 g/mol and the molar mass of chlorine (Cl) is 35.45 g/mol. So, the molar mass of sodium chloride (NaCl) is 22.99 g/mol + 35.45 g/mol = 58.44 g/mol.
Step 2: Calculate the number of moles of sodium chloride (NaCl).
Divide the given mass of sodium chloride by its molar mass:
Number of moles = Mass / Molar mass
Number of moles of NaCl = 58.5 g / 58.44 g/mol ≈ 1 mol
Step 3: Use the balanced chemical equation to determine the molar ratio of NaCl to Cl2.
According to the equation 2NaCl = 2Na + Cl2, for every 2 moles of NaCl, 1 mole of Cl2 is produced.
Step 4: Calculate the number of moles of chlorine gas (Cl2) produced.
Since the molar ratio of NaCl to Cl2 is 2:1, the number of moles of Cl2 produced will be half the number of moles of NaCl.
Number of moles of Cl2 = Number of moles of NaCl / 2
Number of moles of Cl2 = 1 mol / 2 = 0.5 mol
Step 5: Convert moles of chlorine gas to grams.
Multiply the number of moles of Cl2 by its molar mass:
Mass of Cl2 = Number of moles × Molar mass
Mass of Cl2 = 0.5 mol × 70.90 g/mol (molar mass of Cl2)
Mass of Cl2 = 35.45 g
Therefore, the decomposition of 58.5g of sodium chloride would produce 35.45 grams of chlorine gas.