Final answer:
To calculate the mass of potassium nitrate needed to generate 175.0 L of gas, we need to use the ideal gas law and stoichiometry. The actual calculation is contingent upon the balanced chemical equation for the decomposition of potassium nitrate, which is not provided in the question.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to the stoichiometry of gaseous substances and reactions involving potassium nitrate. To determine the mass of potassium nitrate needed to generate a given volume of gases at specified conditions of temperature and pressure, one must use the ideal gas law (PV = nRT) and stoichiometry involving the balanced chemical equations to relate moles of reactants to moles of products, thereby calculating the required mass of potassium nitrate.
However, without the complete reaction for potassium nitrate decomposition, we can't provide the mass. Assuming the complete decomposition of potassium nitrate (KNO3) produces nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2) gases, we would apply the ideal gas law: PV = nRT, where P is the pressure, V is the volume, n is the number of moles, R is the ideal gas constant (0.0821 L·atm/mol·K), and T is the temperature in kelvin. Balancing the decomposition equation would give us the stoichiometric coefficients to calculate the mass of KNO3 needed.