Final answer:
To find the mass of zinc needed to react with 23.1 g of phosphoric acid, we can use a balanced chemical equation and set up a proportion.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the mass of zinc needed to react with 23.1 g of phosphoric acid, we first need to balance the chemical equation:
3 Zn + 2 H3(PO4) → 3 H2 + Zn3(PO4)2
The balanced equation shows that 3 moles of Zn react with 2 moles of H3(PO4). We can use this information to set up a proportion:
(3 moles of Zn) / (2 moles of H3(PO4)) = (x grams of Zn) / (23.1 g of H3(PO4))
Cross-multiplying and solving for x, we get:
x = (3/2) * (23.1 g) = 34.65 g
Therefore, the mass of zinc needed to react with 23.1 g of phosphoric acid is 34.65 g.