Question

Sodium peroxide (Na2O2) is often used in self-contained breathing devices, such as those used in fire emergencies, because it reacts with exhaled CO2 to form Na2CO3 and O2. How many liters of respired air can react with 96.7 g of Na2O2 if each liter of respired air contains 0.0755 g of CO2

Answer 1

725.15 L

Step-by-step explanation:

The balanced chemical equation for the reaction between Na₂O₂ and CO₂ is the following:

Na₂O₂ + CO₂ → Na₂CO₃ + 1/2 O₂

From the stoichiometry of the reaction, 1 mol of Na₂O₂ reacts with 1 mol CO₂. So, the stoichiometric ratio is 1 mol Na₂O₂/1 CO₂.

Now, we convert the mass of reactants to moles by using the molecular weight (Mw) of each compound:

Mw (Na₂O₂) = (23 g/mol x 2) + (16 g/mol x 2) = 78 g/mol

moles Na₂O₂ = 96.7 g/(78 g/mol) = 1.24 mol Na₂O₂

Mw (CO₂) = 12 g/mol + (16 g/mol x 2) = 44 g/mol

moles CO₂ = 0.0755 g/(44 g/mol) = 1.71 x 10⁻³ mol CO₂

Now, we calculate the number of moles of CO₂ we need to completely react with the mass of Na₂O₂ we have:

1.24 mol Na₂O₂ x 1 mol CO₂/1 mol Na₂O₂ = 1.24 mol CO₂

In 1 L of respired air we have 1.71 x 10⁻³ mol CO₂ (0.0755 g), so we need the following number of liters to have 1.24 mol of CO₂:

1.24 mol CO₂ x 1 L/1.71 x 10⁻³ mol CO₂ = 725.15 L