Final answer:
The mass of carbon dioxide produced from the combustion of ethanol is determined using stoichiometry, taking into account the molar ratio from the combustion equation, and using density to convert from volume to mass. Conservation of mass is applied to find the mass of CO2 by using the mass of reactants and the mass of water produced.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the mass of carbon dioxide produced from the combustion of ethanol, we can use the principles of stoichiometry and convert the given volumes to mass using their densities. According to the balanced chemical equation, C2H5OH (l) + 3O2 (g) → 2CO2 (g) + 3H2O(g), the molar ratio of ethanol to carbon dioxide is 1:2. First, we find out the mass of ethanol by multiplying its volume by its density (4.6 mL × 0.789 g/mL = 3.629 g). From the molecular weights, 1 mole of ethanol (46.07 g/mol) produces 2 moles of CO2 (44 g/mol each). Using this ratio, we find the mass of CO2 produced.
However, since water is also a product, we account for the mass of water formed by converting its volume to mass (3.10 mL × 1.00 g/mL = 3.10 g). Next, we use the conservation of mass to determine the mass of the produced carbon dioxide. The initial mass of reactants (mass of ethanol + mass of oxygen) minus the mass of water produced will give us the mass of carbon dioxide produced.
Given that the oxygen present is in excess, the ethanol is the limiting reagent, so determining the theoretical yield of CO2 is based on the ethanol amount. The calculation leads us to the mass of carbon dioxide produced, which can be compared to the answer choices.