Carbon and oxygen react to form carbon dioxide. What is the mass of carbon dioxide produced when 12.0 g of carbon react with 32.0 g of oxygen?
A) 44 g
B) 38 g
C) 28 g
D) 20 g
E) 2.67 g

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The balanced chemical equation for the reaction between carbon and oxygen to form carbon dioxide is:

C + O2 -> CO2

We can use the coefficients in the balanced equation to determine the mole ratio of carbon to carbon dioxide and the mole ratio of oxygen to carbon dioxide.

1 mole of carbon reacts with 1 mole of carbon dioxide.
1 mole of oxygen reacts with 2 moles of carbon dioxide.

Using the given masses of carbon and oxygen, we can convert them to moles using their respective molar masses:

12.0 g C / 12.01 g/mol = 0.999 moles C
32.0 g O2 / 32.00 g/mol = 1.000 moles O2

Since oxygen is the limiting reactant (it runs out first), we use its mole ratio with carbon dioxide to calculate the moles of carbon dioxide produced:

1 mole O2 : 2 moles CO2
1.000 moles O2 x (2 moles CO2 / 1 mole O2) = 2.000 moles CO2

Finally, we can convert the moles of carbon dioxide to grams using its molar mass:

2.000 moles CO2 x 44.01 g/mol = 88.02 g CO2

Therefore, the mass of carbon dioxide produced is 88.02 g. However, we should round this to the correct number of significant figures based on the given data. Both 12.0 g and 32.0 g have 3 significant figures, so our final answer should have 3 significant figures:

88.0 g is not a choice provided, but A= 44 g is the closest.

Carbon and Oxygen React to Form Carbon Dioxide