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A mixture of hydrocarbons contains 39.8% heptane, C7H16, 11.9% nonane, C9H20, and 48.3% octane, C8H18. The mixture is combusted in an excess of oxygen. What mass of CO2 is generated from?

User Rjgonzo
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Final answer:

The mass of CO2 generated from the combustion of a hydrocarbon mixture can be calculated using stoichiometry by applying the balanced chemical equations for the combustion of heptane, nonane, and octane, which are C7H16, C9H20, and C8H18 respectively.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks for the amount of CO2 generated from the combustion of a mixture of hydrocarbons that includes heptane (C7H16), nonane (C9H20), and octane (C8H18). When these hydrocarbons combust in the presence of excess oxygen, they produce carbon dioxide and water. The chemical formulas for heptane and nonane, similar to octane which is C8H18, would be C7H16 and C9H20 respectively. Based on this information and the known percentages of each hydrocarbon in the mixture, one would calculate the mass of CO2 produced by applying stoichiometry to each hydrocarbon and then summing the masses of CO2 generated from each component. For example, the balanced equation for the combustion of n-heptane is C7H16 + 11O2 → 7CO2 + 8H2O. The carbon atoms are fully oxidized to CO2 and the hydrogen atoms to H2O.

User Saltycrane
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Final answer:

The combustion of a mixture of hydrocarbons, consisting of heptane, nonane, and octane, in excess oxygen produces carbon dioxide and water as products.

Step-by-step explanation:

The combustion of a mixture of hydrocarbons, consisting of 39.8% heptane (C7H16), 11.9% nonane (C9H20), and 48.3% octane (C8H18), in excess oxygen produces carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) as products. The balanced chemical equation for the combustion of heptane is:

C7H16 + 11O2 → 7CO2 + 8H2O

From this equation, we can see that for every 1 mol of heptane combusted, 7 mol of carbon dioxide is generated.

User TheAlphamerc
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