Question

When bicarbonate is reacted with acid, it releases CO₂. How many moles of HCO₃ did you start with if you collected 1.24x10⁻³ moles of CO₂?

Answer 1

To find the number of moles of bicarbonate you started with, use the stoichiometry of the reaction; in this case, 1.24x10−3 moles of CO2 corresponds to the same number of moles of bicarbonate.

Step-by-step explanation:

When bicarbonate (HCO3−) is reacted with acid, it releases carbon dioxide (CO2). For each mole of bicarbonate reacted, one mole of carbon dioxide is produced. Since you collected 1.24x10−3 moles of CO2, you had started with 1.24x10−3 moles of HCO3−.