Final answer:
To produce 4.6 moles of Fe(s), 3.0 moles of O2(g) are needed, according to the balanced chemical equation.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the number of moles of O2(g) needed to produce 4.6 moles of Fe(s), we need to use the balanced chemical equation for the reaction. The balanced equation is:
4Fe2O3(s) + 3O2(g) → 8Fe(s)
From the equation, we can see that 3 moles of O2 are needed to produce 8 moles of Fe. Therefore, we can set up a proportion to find the number of moles of O2 needed:
3 moles O2 / 8 moles Fe = x moles O2 / 4.6 moles Fe
Cross-multiplying and solving for x, we find that x = 4.6 × (3 moles O2 / 8 moles Fe) = 1.725 moles O2.
Therefore, the correct answer is 1.725 moles, which is closest to option b. 3.0 moles.