Final answer:
0.5 moles of zinc will react with iodine to produce 0.5 moles of zinc iodide, and the mass of 0.5 moles of zinc iodide is 159.595 g.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many moles of zinc iodide would be produced from 0.5 moles of zinc and 1 mole of iodine, we must first examine the balanced chemical equation:
Zn + I2 → ZnI2
According to the stoichiometry of the equation, 1 mole of zinc reacts with 1 mole of iodine to produce 1 mole of zinc iodide. Therefore, if we start with 0.5 moles of zinc, we would need only 0.5 moles of iodine to react completely according to the equation. Since 1 mole of iodine is provided (which is in excess), the limiting reactant is zinc. Thus, 0.5 moles of zinc will produce 0.5 moles of zinc iodide.
To calculate the mass of the product, we need the molar mass of zinc iodide, ZnI2. The molar mass of zinc iodide is the sum of the molar mass of zinc (65.39 g/mol) and two times the molar mass of iodine (2 × 126.90 g/mol), which equals 319.19 g/mol. Therefore, the mass of the zinc iodide produced from 0.5 moles is:
0.5 moles × 319.19 g/mol = 159.595 g