Question

What is the theoretical yield of aluminum oxide if 1.60 mol of aluminum metal is exposed to 1.50 mol of oxygen?

a) 1.25 mol
b) 2.10 mol
c) 3.20 mol
d) 4.80 mol

Answer 1

The theoretical yield of aluminum oxide is 1 mol.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the theoretical yield of aluminum oxide, we need to determine the limiting reactant, which is the reactant that is completely consumed in the reaction. In this case, the balanced chemical equation is:

4 Al + 3 O2 → 2 Al2O3

From the equation, we can see that 4 moles of aluminum react with 3 moles of oxygen to produce 2 moles of aluminum oxide. To determine the limiting reactant, we calculate the moles of aluminum oxide that can be produced from each reactant:

For aluminum: 1.6 mol Aluminum * (2 mol Al2O3 / 4 mol Al) = 0.8 mol Al2O3

For oxygen: 1.5 mol Oxygen * (2 mol Al2O3 / 3 mol O2) = 1 mol Al2O3

Since the amount of aluminum oxide that can be produced from oxygen is greater than from aluminum, oxygen is the limiting reactant. Therefore, the theoretical yield of aluminum oxide is 1 mol Al2O3.