Lithium hydroxide is used in the space program to remove carbon dioxide (from respiration) in spacecraft. Specifically, lithium hydroxide, LiOH, reacts with carbon dioxide, CO2, ro form lithium carbonate, Li2CO3, and water. 2LiOH+CO2->Li2CO3+H2O, What mass of CO2 can be absorbed by 36 g of LiOH?
Two moles of LiOH removes one mole of CO2.
36 g of LiOH is 1.50 moles of LiOH.
That will absorb 0.75 moles of CO2.
Convert that to grams of CO2.
To find the mass of CO2 that can be absorbed by 36 g of LiOH, we first need to calculate the molar mass of LiOH and CO2.
The molar mass of LiOH (lithium hydroxide) can be calculated by adding up the atomic masses of its constituents:
(Molar mass of Li) + (Molar mass of O) + (Molar mass of H)
The atomic masses are:
Li: 6.941 g/mol
O: 16.00 g/mol
H: 1.008 g/mol
So, the molar mass of LiOH:
(6.941 g/mol) + (16.00 g/mol + 1.008 g/mol) = 23.949 g/mol
Next, we need to determine the molar mass of CO2 (carbon dioxide):
(Molar mass of C) + 2 * (Molar mass of O)
The atomic masses are:
C: 12.01 g/mol
O: 16.00 g/mol
So, the molar mass of CO2:
(12.01 g/mol) + 2 * (16.00 g/mol) = 44.01 g/mol
Now, we can use the balanced chemical equation to calculate the stoichiometry of the reaction:
2LiOH + CO2 -> Li2CO3 + H2O
According to the equation, 2 moles of LiOH react with 1 mole of CO2 to produce 1 mole of Li2CO3.
To find the number of moles of LiOH in 36 g, divide the given mass by its molar mass:
36 g / 23.949 g/mol ≈ 1.501 moles
Since the stoichiometry ratio is 2:1 (LiOH to CO2), the number of moles of CO2 will be half of the number of moles of LiOH:
1.501 moles / 2 ≈ 0.7505 moles of CO2
Finally, to find the mass of CO2, multiply the number of moles by its molar mass:
0.7505 moles * 44.01 g/mol ≈ 33.02 g
Therefore, approximately 33.02 grams of CO2 can be absorbed by 36 grams of LiOH.