Final answer:
To use up 3.24 mols of oxygen in the combustion of ethanol, 1.08 mols of ethanol are required, based on the balanced chemical equation C₂H₅OH(l) + 3O₂(g) → 2CO₂(g) + 3H₂O(g).
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many mols of ethanol (C₂H₅OH) are needed to use up 3.24 mols of oxygen (O₂), we first need to balance the chemical equation for the combustion of ethanol. Balancing the equation we get:
C₂H₅OH(l) + 3O₂(g) → 2CO₂(g) + 3H₂O(g)
From the balanced equation, we see that 1 mol of ethanol reacts with 3 mols of oxygen to produce 2 mols of carbon dioxide and 3 mols of water. Therefore, to use up 3.24 mols of oxygen, we calculate the mols of ethanol required using the ratio from the balanced reaction: 1 mol C₂H₅OH / 3 mols O₂. Multiplying the given mols of oxygen by this ratio we get:
Moles of C₂H₅OH needed = (3.24 mols O₂) × (1 mol C₂H₅OH / 3 mols O₂) = 1.08 mols C₂H₅OH
So, to completely react with 3.24 mols of oxygen, 1.08 mols of ethanol are needed.