Question

Answer the following questions about the reaction shown below.

3H_2O_2(aq)+ CH_3OH(aq) → 5H_2O(l) + CO_2(g)
A. Is this reaction classified as combustion, acid-base, or redox? Justify your answer.
B. What observation would you expect to see in the lab when this chemical reaction takes place?
C. If 100 mL of 0.50 M H2O2 and 100 mL of 0.50 M CH3OH are combined, what is the limiting reactant? And how many grams of CO2 will be produced?

Answer 1

The reaction shown is classified as a redox reaction. In the lab, you would expect to see the formation of water and carbon dioxide. The limiting reactant is H2O2 and the grams of CO2 produced can be calculated using the stoichiometric ratio.

Step-by-step explanation:

A. The reaction shown is classified as a redox reaction. This is because the oxidation state of carbon in CH3OH increases from -2 to +4 in CO2. The oxidation state of oxygen in H2O2 decreases from -1 to -2 in H2O.

B. In the lab, you would expect to see the formation of water (H2O) as a liquid and carbon dioxide (CO2) as a gas. Depending on the conditions, you may also observe effervescence (bubbling) due to the release of CO2 gas.

C. To determine the limiting reactant, we compare the stoichiometric ratios of the reactants. In this case, the stoichiometric ratio between H2O2 and CO2 is 3:1. Since we have equal volumes and concentrations of H2O2 and CH3OH, the molar ratio is also 3:1. Therefore, H2O2 is the limiting reactant and the amount of CO2 produced will be determined by the amount of H2O2 that reacts. To calculate the grams of CO2 produced, we use the molar mass of CO2 (44.01 g/mol) and the stoichiometric ratio between H2O2 and CO2 (3:1).