Final answer:
To produce 37.15 g of CO2, approximately 26.88 grams of oxygen are required, based on the balanced reaction of carbon with oxygen and the molar masses of CO2 (44.01 g/mol) and O2 (32.00 g/mol).
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many grams of oxygen are required to produce 37.15 g of CO2, we need to look at the balanced chemical equation of a reaction that produces carbon dioxide. The formation of CO2 typically comes from the combustion of carbon in the presence of oxygen, represented by the equation C + O2 → CO2. According to the molecular weights, carbon has an atomic mass of 12.01 g/mol, and oxygen has an atomic mass of 16.00 g/mol. Therefore, one mole of CO2, with a molar mass of 44.01 g/mol, consists of one mole of carbon and two moles of oxygen.
First, we calculate the number of moles of CO2 produced using its molar mass:
Moles of CO2 = mass/molar mass = 37.15 g / 44.01 g/mol = approximately 0.84 moles
Next, since the stoichiometry of the reaction tells us that one mole of carbon dioxide comes from one mole of oxygen gas (O2), the moles of oxygen required are the same as the moles of CO2 produced. However, one mole of oxygen gas consists of two oxygen atoms, so we need to account for the molecular form of the oxygen gas which is O2.
Grams of O2 required = moles of CO2 × molecular weight of O2
= 0.84 moles × (2 × 16.00 g/mol)
= approximately 26.88 grams of O2
Therefore, to produce 37.15 g of CO2, approximately 26.88 grams of oxygen are required.