Final answer:
The synthesis reaction between carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen gas (H2) produces methanol (CH3OH). By using stoichiometry and the balanced chemical equation, the amount of methanol produced can be calculated based on the limiting reactant, which in this case is hydrogen gas.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the amount of methanol produced from a synthesis reaction between carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen gas (H2), we need a balanced chemical equation. In this case, the balanced equation is:
2H2(g) + CO(g) → CH3OH(g).
The molar masses of the reactants and products are required to perform stoichiometric calculations. The molar mass of CO is 28.01 g/mol, and H2 is 2.02 g/mol, while CH3OH has a molar mass of 32.04 g/mol.
Next, we use the molar masses to determine the limiting reactant, which in this case is hydrogen because it will be consumed first. From the balanced equation, 2 moles of H2 react with 1 mole of CO to produce 1 mole of CH3OH. Therefore, we can convert the mass of H2 used to moles, and then to moles of CH3OH, and ultimately to grams of CH3OH, using the molar mass of CH3OH.