Final answer:
To make vanadium pentoxide from 0.171 mol of oxygen, we need 0.0684 moles of vanadium atoms, as determined by the stoichiometric ratio from the balanced chemical equation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks how many moles of vanadium atoms are needed to react with 0.171 mol of oxygen atoms to form vanadium pentoxide (V2O5). First, we need to consider the balanced chemical equation for the formation of vanadium pentoxide, which is V2O5. The chemical formula indicates that 2 moles of vanadium (V) react with 5 moles of oxygen (O) to form 1 mole of V2O5. Therefore, we can set up a stoichiometric ratio based on the balanced equation: 2 mol V : 5 mol O.
To find the number of moles of V, we use this ratio and the given amount of oxygen atoms:
- Using the stoichiometric ratio, calculate moles of O needed to react with V: 5 mol O react with 2 mol V.
- Divide the given moles of oxygen by 5 to find the equivalent moles of vanadium pentoxide that could be formed: 0.171 mol O / 5 = 0.0342 mol V2O5.
- Multiply the result by 2 to find the moles of V required: 0.0342 mol V2O5 x 2 = 0.0684 mol V.
Therefore, 0.0684 moles of vanadium are needed to react with 0.171 moles of oxygen to form vanadium pentoxide.