Question

In the reaction 2HgO -> 2Hg + O_2, how many moles of Hg will be produced from 34.0 g of HgO?

a) 0.25 moles
b) 0.50 moles
c) 0.75 moles
d) 1.00 moles

Answer 1

To determine the number of moles of Hg produced from 34.0 g of HgO, divide the mass of HgO by its molar mass and use the stoichiometric ratio from the balanced equation. The answer is approximately 0.16 moles of Hg.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the number of moles of Hg produced from 34.0 g of HgO, we need to use the molar mass of HgO and the stoichiometric ratio of Hg to HgO. The molar mass of HgO is 216.59 g/mol (200.59 g/mol for Hg and 16.00 g/mol for O). From the balanced chemical equation, we can see that 2 moles of Hg are produced from 2 moles of HgO, so the moles of Hg produced would be the same as the moles of HgO used. Therefore, the number of moles of Hg produced is given by:

(34.0 g HgO) / (216.59 g/mol HgO) = 0.157 moles

Therefore, the answer is approximately 0.16 moles of Hg.