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Many home barbecues are fueled with propane gas (C3H8). How much carbon dioxide in kilograms is produced upon the complete combustion of 17.1 L of propane (approximate contents of one 5-gal tank)

User Pleup
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Final answer:

To find the amount of CO2 produced from the combustion of 17.1 L of propane, calculate the moles of propane, use the stoichiometric relationship from the balanced combustion reaction to find the moles of CO2, and then convert that to kilograms. Approximately 0.10076 kilograms of CO2 are produced from the combustion of 17.1 L of propane.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question relates to the complete combustion of propane (C3H8) and the subsequent production of carbon dioxide (CO2). To find the amount of carbon dioxide produced from the combustion of 17.1 L of propane, one must use the balanced chemical equation for the combustion of propane:

C3H8 (g) + 5 O2 (g) → 3 CO2 (g) + 4 H2O (l)

This equation indicates that 1 mole of propane reacts with 5 moles of oxygen to produce 3 moles of carbon dioxide. Since propane has a molar volume of 22.4 L at standard temperature and pressure (STP), we can calculate the number of moles of propane in 17.1 L, then use the mole ratio from the balanced equation to find the moles of CO2 produced.

Number of moles of C3H8 = 17.1 L / 22.4 L/mol = 0.76339 mol
Moles of CO2 produced = 0.76339 mol C3H8 × (3 mol CO2 / 1 mol C3H8) = 2.29017 mol CO2

Using the molar mass of CO2 (44.01 g/mol), we convert moles of CO2 to grams, and then to kilograms:

Mass of CO2 = 2.29017 mol × 44.01 g/mol = 100.76 g = 0.10076 kg

Therefore, the complete combustion of 17.1 L of propane produces approximately 0.10076 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

User Rafe
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