Question

Citric acid, C₆H₈O₇, a component of jams, jellies, and fruity soft drinks, is prepared industrially via fermentation of sucrose by the mold Aspergillus niger. The equation representing this reaction is C₁2H₂2O₁1+H₂O+3O₂⟶2C₆H₈O₇+4H₂O. How many moles of oxygen (O₂) are consumed in the production of 1 mol of citric acid (C₆H₈O₇)?

a) 1 mol
b) 2 mol
c) 3 mol
d) 4 mol

Answer 1

The number of moles of oxygen consumed in the production of 1 mol of citric acid is 3 mol. Option C

Step-by-step explanation:

The equation given for the fermentation of sucrose to produce citric acid is:

C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ + H₂O + 3O₂ ⟶ 2C₆H₈O₇ + 4H₂O

To determine the number of moles of oxygen consumed in the production of 1 mole of citric acid, we can use the stoichiometric coefficients of the equation. From the equation, we can see that 3 moles of oxygen are required to produce 2 moles of citric acid. Therefore, the answer is 3 moles (option c).