Question

A mixture of CO and O is placed in a container, as shown above. A reaction occurs, forming CO2. Which of the following best represents the contents of the box after the reaction has proceeded as completely as possible

Answer 1

After a reaction between CO and O2 to obtain CO2, the container would contain mainly CO2 along with any unreacted CO and O2, depending on the proportions and if the reaction reaches equilibrium.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves the chemical reaction between carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen (O2) to form carbon dioxide (CO2). After the reaction proceeds as completely as possible, the contents of the box will likely comprise mainly CO2, with any remaining CO and O2 due to the reaction reaching equilibrium or due to a limiting reactant.

The balanced chemical equation for the reaction is:

2 CO(g) + O

2

(g) → 2 CO

2

(g)

At the completion of the reaction, if CO and O2 are present in a stoichiometric ratio, all reactants would be consumed to form CO2. However, in practice, if there is excess CO or O2, or if the reaction reaches an equilibrium state, some CO and/or O2 might still be present along with CO2. Moreover, the orientation of collisions between CO and O2 molecules affects the efficiency of CO2 production, with collisions where the carbon side of CO meets the O2 being more likely to produce CO2.