Question

__ ch3ch2cooh(l) + __ o2(g)  __ co2(g) + __ h2o(l) how many moles of o2 are required to oxidize 1 mole of ch3ch2cooh according to the reaction represented above?

Answer 1

The given chemical equation represents the combustion reaction of propanoic acid:

On balancing we get,

`2CH_(3)CH_(2)COOH (l)+ 7O_(2)(g)--->6CO_(2)(g) + 6H_(2)O(g)`

The above balanced chemical equation tells us that, 2 mol
`CH_(3)CH_(2)COOH` require 7 mol
`O_(2)` for complete combustion to produce
`6 mol H_(2)O` and
`6 mol CO_(2)`

Given moles of
`CH_(3)CH_(2)COOH` = 1 mol

Calculating moles of
`O_(2)` required for combustion:

`1 mol CH_(3)CH_(2)COOH * (7 mol O_(2) )/(2 mol CH_(3)CH_(2)COOH ) =3.5 mol O_(2)`

Therefore, 3.5 mol Oxygen is required for complete combustion of 1 mol propanoic acid.