Final answer:
The mass of sodium bicarbonate in the tablet is 1.5 times the mass of carbon dioxide produced from its decomposition, based on the stoichiometry of the reaction where two moles of NaHCO₃ produce one mole of CO₂
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine what the mass of sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO₃, was in the tablet using the mass of carbon dioxide produced, we need to look at the stoichiometry of the reaction involved. In the decomposition of sodium bicarbonate:
2 NaHCO₃(s) → Na₂CO₃ (s) + CO₂(g) + H₂O(l)
We can see that two moles of NaHCO₃ produce one mole of CO₂. This means for every gram of CO₂ produced, there would have been about 1.5 times the mass of sodium bicarbonate that decomposed to produce that CO₂ (since the molar mass of NaHCO₃ is approximately 1.5 times that of CO₂). Therefore, the correct answer is b. 1.5 times the mass of carbon dioxide.