Question

If 16 grams of CH₄ reacts with 16 grams of O₂ in the reaction shown below, which of the following will be true?

CH₄ + O₂ + CO₂ + H₂O
a. The limiting reagent will be O₂
b. The mass of H₂O formed will be twice the mass of CO₂ formed
c. Equal number of moles of H₂O and CO₂ will be formed
d. Equal masses of H₂O and CO₂ will be formed

Answer 1

In the reaction between CH4 and O2, a) O2 will be the limiting reagent. Equal masses of H2O and CO2 will be formed.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the limiting reagent in the reaction between CH4 and O2, we need to compare the number of moles of each reactant. The balanced equation tells us that the ratio of CH4 to O2 is 1:1. Using the molar masses of CH4 (16.04 g/mol) and O2 (32.00 g/mol), we can convert the given masses to moles. Both CH4 and O2 have the same mass of 16 grams, but since the molar mass of O2 is twice that of CH4, it means that there will be fewer moles of O2 than of CH4. Therefore, O2 will be the limiting reagent. The balanced equation also tells us that the ratio of CO2 to H2O is 1:1. Since O2 is the limiting reagent, all the O2 will be consumed, resulting in the formation of the same number of moles of CO2 and H2O. Therefore, the correct option is d. Equal masses of H2O and CO2 will be formed.