Question

Phosphorous burns in oxygen to produce phosphorous oxide in the following reaction: 4P(s) + 5O2(g) → P4O10(s). What amount (in moles) of phosphorous will be needed to produce 3.25 mol of P4O10?

Answer 1

To produce 3.25 mol of P4O10, you would need 13 mol of phosphorous, as per the stoichiometric ratio of 4:1 from the balanced chemical reaction involving phosphorous and oxygen.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the amount of phosphorous needed to produce 3.25 mol of P4O10 according to the reaction 4P(s) + 5O2(g) → P4O10(s), we can use stoichiometry. The ratio of P to P4O10 in the balanced chemical equation is 4:1, meaning that 4 mol of P are needed for every 1 mol of P4O10. To produce 3.25 mol of P4O10, you would need 4 times as many moles of phosphorous, which is 4 × 3.25 mol = 13 mol of P.