Question

A compact car gets 37.5 miles per gallon on the highway. If gasoline contains 84.2% carbon by mass and has a density of 0.8205 g/mL, determine the mass of carbon dioxide produced during a 500-mile trip (3.785 liters per gallon).

a) 48.6 kg
b) 24.3 kg
c) 12.1 kg
d) 6.0 kg

Answer 1

The mass of carbon dioxide produced during a 500-mile trip in a compact car is approximately 34.06 kg.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the mass of carbon dioxide produced during a 500-mile trip in a compact car, we need to calculate the mass of gasoline consumed and then convert it to the mass of carbon dioxide produced.

First, we need to calculate the volume of gasoline consumed during the trip. Since the car gets 37.5 miles per gallon, the volume of gasoline consumed is 500 miles divided by 37.5 miles per gallon, which is approximately 13.33 gallons.

Next, we can calculate the mass of gasoline consumed by multiplying the volume of gasoline by its density. The density of gasoline is 0.8205 g/mL, so the mass of gasoline consumed is 13.33 gallons multiplied by 3.785 liters per gallon (to convert gallons to liters), multiplied by 0.8205 g/mL. This gives us a mass of approximately 40.41 kg.

Finally, to determine the mass of carbon dioxide produced, we multiply the mass of gasoline consumed by the percentage of carbon in gasoline (84.2%). The mass of carbon dioxide produced is approximately 40.41 kg multiplied by 84.2%, which is approximately 34.06 kg. Therefore, the mass of carbon dioxide produced during the 500-mile trip is approximately 34.06 kg.