Question

Give the theoretical yield, in moles, of CO2 from the reaction of 4.00 moles of C8H18 with 4.00 moles of 02. 2 C_8H_18 + 25 0 _2- 16 CO2_2 + 18 H_20 (Enter numeric answer only, do not write any units) .

a) 0.640 moles
b) 16.0 moles
c) 64.0 moles
d) 2.56 moles

Answer 1

The theoretical yield of CO2 from the reaction of 4.00 moles of C8H18 with 4.00 moles of O2 is 2.56 moles, as O2 is the limiting reactant.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the theoretical yield of CO2 from the combustion of C8H18 with O2, we use the balanced chemical equation:

2 C8H18(l) + 25 O2(g) → 16 CO2(g) + 18 H2O(g)

According to the balanced equation, 2 moles of C8H18 react with 25 moles of O2 to produce 16 moles of CO2. To find the limiting reactant, we compare the mole ratio of the reactants provided with the stoichiometry of the balanced equation.

For C8H18, you start with 4.00 moles, and according to the equation, 2 moles of C8H18 produce 16 moles of CO2. Hence, 4.00 moles of C8H18 would theoretically produce:

4.00 moles C8H18 × (16 moles CO2 / 2 moles C8H18) = 32.0 moles CO2

For O2, you start with 4.00 moles, and according to the equation, 25 moles of O2 would be required to react with 2 moles of C8H18. Therefore, O2 is the limiting reactant because we have less than the required 25 moles for the reaction to go to completion.

So, based on the O2 available, we calculate the amount of CO2 that can be produced:

4.00 moles O2 × (16 moles CO2 / 25 moles O2) = 2.56 moles CO2

Since O2 is the limiting reactant, the theoretical yield of CO2 is 2.56 moles.