Final answer:
To determine the mass of the oxygen burned in the reaction between nitrogen and oxygen to form an oxide of nitrogen, subtract the mass of nitrogen burned from the total mass of the oxide of nitrogen. However, in this specific scenario, the given information leads to a negative mass of oxygen burned, indicating an error.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the mass of the oxygen burned, we can use the law of conservation of mass. According to this law, the total mass of the reactants must equal the total mass of the products in a chemical reaction. In this case, the reactants are nitrogen gas (N2) and oxygen gas (O2), and the product is an oxide of nitrogen. We are given that 3.5 g of nitrogen gas is burned to form 1.5 g of the oxide of nitrogen. To find the mass of oxygen burned, we subtract the mass of nitrogen burned from the total mass of the oxide of nitrogen:
Mass of oxygen burned = Mass of oxide of nitrogen - Mass of nitrogen burned
Mass of oxygen burned = 1.5 g - 3.5 g
Mass of oxygen burned = -2 g
However, we cannot have a negative mass of oxygen burned. This means that there must be an error in the given information or calculations. Please double-check the values to ensure accuracy.