The decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into hydrogen and oxygen gas (O2) can be represented by the following balanced chemical equation:
2 H2O2 -> 2 H2O + O2
From this equation, we can see that for every 2 moles of hydrogen peroxide decomposed, 1 mole of oxygen gas is produced.
To determine how many molecules of oxygen can be produced if 4.10 moles of hydrogen peroxide are decomposed, we first need to calculate the number of moles of oxygen produced. Since 2 moles of hydrogen peroxide produce 1 mole of oxygen, we can use the following conversion factor:
1 mole O2 / 2 moles H2O2
Multiplying this conversion factor by the number of moles of hydrogen peroxide decomposed gives:
4.10 moles H2O2 x (1 mole O2 / 2 moles H2O2) = 2.05 moles O2
Next, we can use Avogadro's number to convert the number of moles of oxygen into the number of oxygen molecules:
2.05 moles O2 x 6.022 x 10^23 molecules/mole = 1.23 x 10^24 molecules of O2
Therefore, if 4.10 moles of hydrogen peroxide are decomposed, 1.23 x 10^24 molecules of oxygen can be produced.