Final answer:
The maximum amount of CO₂ that could be formed from 5.98 mol of CO and 17.09 mol of O₂ is 5.98 mol, as CO is the limiting reactant and the stoichiometric ratio of CO to CO₂ is 1:1.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves determining the maximum amount of CO₂ that can be produced from a given amount of CO and O₂ through the chemical reaction 2 CO + O₂ → 2 CO₂. We are given 5.98 mol of CO and 17.09 mol of O₂.
First, we need to write the balanced chemical equation:
2 CO + O₂ → 2 CO₂
Next, we determine the limiting reactant. The reaction consumes CO and O₂ in a 2:1 ratio, so for every 1 mol of O₂, we need 2 mol of CO. Since we have 5.98 mol of CO available, this would require 2.99 mol of O₂. However, since we have 17.09 mol of O₂, which is more than needed, CO is the limiting reactant.
As CO is the limiting reactant and the molar ratio of CO to CO₂ is 1:1 (from the balanced equation), the maximum amount of CO₂ produced will be equal to the amount of CO we started with, which is 5.98 mol of CO₂.