1) First, let's rewrite the chemical equation here:
2 C7H6O3(s) + C4H6O3(l) → 2 C9H8O4(s) + H2O(l)
2) Let's find out how many moles of C9H8O4 have into 500 mg of it. For this, use ese the following equation:
mole = mass/ molar mass
mass = 500 mg = 0.5 g
molar mass of C9H8O4 = 180.16 g/mol (the question give it to us)
mole = 0.5/180.16
mole = 0.0028 moles of C9H8O4
3) Using the chemical equation proportion, we can discover the amount in moles of C4H6O3 needed to form 0.0028 moles of C9H8O4. So:
1 mol of C4H6O3 forms 2 moles of C9H8O4
x mol of C4H6O3 forms 0.0028 moles of C9H8O4
2x = 0.0028
x = 0.0014 moles of C4H6O3
4) We need to find the answer in grams. Let's transform 0.0014 moles of C4H6O3 into grams. For this, use ese the following equation:
mass = mole × molar mas
mass = 0.0014 moles × 102.09
mass = 0.142 grams or 1.42x10⁻¹
Answer: The amount of C4H6O3 that is needed is 1.42x10⁻¹ g.