Question

Her teacher explains that the idea of the demo is to quickly place the reactants in the bottle and then to attach the balloon to the neck of the bottle so it will catch the CO2; released by the following reaction:

CaCO3 (s) + 2HCl (aq) → CaCl2 (aq) + H2O (l) + CO2 (g)

She is also told that the maximum percentage of CaCO3 in the mixture is 50.0% and that the volume of the balloon cannot exceed 2.0 L.

a) Determine the maximum number of moles of CO2 that the balloon can hold if the temperature is 27 degrees C, and the barometric pressure is measured as 760 torr.

A) 0.057 moles

B) 0.076 moles

C) 0.090 moles

D) 0.115 moles

Answer 1

The question revolves around the measurement and calculation of carbon dioxide produced in a chemical reaction using principles of stoichiometry and the ideal gas law to relate volume and moles of gases.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject of the question relates to a chemical reaction where reactants are mixed to produce carbon dioxide gas (CO2), along with other products. In such experiments, one typically measures the volume of gas produced to calculate moles of the reactants and products based on stoichiometric relationships. For example, when an effervescent tablet is dissolved in water inside a balloon, the reaction releases carbon dioxide, inflating the balloon, which illustrates the principle of gas production in a chemical reaction.

When determining the amount of CO2 produced from a given amount of reactant, the stoichiometry of the balanced chemical equation is crucial. For instance, the combustion of propane (C3H8) produces CO2 and H2O in a fixed ratio. The balanced equation for this reaction is: C3H8 + 5 O2 → 3 CO2 + 4 H2O. If 0.75 mol of propane is combusted, 0.75 mol x 3 mol CO2/mol C3H8 yields 2.25 mol of CO2.

Furthermore, using the ideal gas law or knowing that one mole of gas occupies 22.414 L at STP (standard temperature and pressure) allows one to calculate the volume of gas produced during the reaction. This is essential for understanding the quantitative aspects of chemical reactions and is a fundamental component of chemical stoichiometry and gas laws.