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Wine goes bad soon after opening because the ethanol (CH₃CH₂OH) in it reacts with oxygen gas (O₂) from the air to form water (H₂O) and acetic acid (CH₃COOH), the main ingredient of vinegar.

What mass of acetic acid is produced by the reaction of 9.5 g of oxygen gas?

User Naviram
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Final answer:

The mass of acetic acid produced by the reaction of 9.5 g of oxygen gas can be calculated using stoichiometry. The balanced chemical equation gives the mole ratio between oxygen and acetic acid. By converting the given mass of oxygen to moles and applying the mole ratio, we can determine the mass of acetic acid produced.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mass of acetic acid produced by the reaction of 9.5 g of oxygen gas (O₂) can be determined using the stoichiometry of the reaction. The balanced chemical equation for the reaction is:

2 CH₃CH₂OH + O₂ → 2 H₂O + 2 CH₃COOH

The molar mass of O₂ is 32 g/mol. Based on the equation, 1 mol of O₂ reacts with 2 mol of CH₃CH₂OH to produce 2 mol of CH₃COOH. Therefore, using the molar mass of CH₃COOH (60 g/mol), we can calculate the mass of acetic acid produced.

First, calculate the moles of O₂:

Moles of O₂ = mass of O₂ / molar mass of O₂ = 9.5 g / 32 g/mol = 0.297 mol

Since 2 mol of CH₃CH₂OH reacts with 1 mol of O₂, the number of moles of CH₃CH₂OH consumed is half the number of moles of O₂:

Moles of CH₃CH₂OH = 0.297 mol / 2 = 0.1485 mol

The mass of acetic acid produced is calculated by multiplying the number of moles of CH₃COOH by its molar mass:

Mass of CH₃COOH = moles of CH₃COOH * molar mass of CH₃COOH = 0.1485 mol * 60 g/mol = 8.91 g

User William Xyz
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