Final answer:
The question addresses the complete combustion of a hydrocarbon to produce carbon dioxide and water vapor, requiring 192g of oxygen. The solution involves applying stoichiometry and molar ratios to determine the molecular formula of the hydrocarbon based on the oxygen consumed.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves determining the reaction of combustion of a hydrocarbon which is a Chemistry concept typically encountered at the high school level. By given information that 1 mole of a hydrocarbon of formula CnH2n requires 192g of oxygen for complete combustion to produce carbon dioxide and water, one can deduce the molecular formula of the hydrocarbon based on the stoichiometry of the reaction and the amount of oxygen consumed.
A similar concept is demonstrated in the combustion of n-heptane (C7H16), which reacts with oxygen to give carbon dioxide and water. A balanced equation for this reaction is essential to determining the stoichiometry, which in turn allows us to calculate the number of moles of reactants and products involved. For every mole of carbon in the hydrocarbon, there's a mole of CO2 produced, and for every two moles of hydrogen, there's a mole of H2O produced in the combustion reaction.
For example, the complete combustion equation for one of the simplest hydrocarbons, ethane (C2H6), would be represented as following:
2 C2H6(g) + 7 O2(g) → 4 CO2(g) + 6 H2O(g)
In practice, to solve for the molecular formula of a hydrocarbon using the given data of oxygen consumption, you would apply concepts of molecular weights, molar ratios from the balanced equation, and the conservation of mass.