Methane and oxygen react to form carbon dioxide and water.What mass of water is formed if 9.6 g of methane reacts with 38.4 g of oxygen to produce 26.4 g of carbon dioxide?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

First, we need to write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction:

CH4 + 2O2 -> CO2 + 2H2O

Next, we need to determine the limiting reactant. We can do this by calculating how much water would be produced if all of the methane and oxygen reacted:

9.6 g CH4 x (1 mol CH4/16.04 g CH4) x (2 mol H2O/1 mol CH4) x (18.02 g H2O/1 mol H2O) = 21.6 g H2O

38.4 g O2 x (1 mol O2/32.00 g O2) x (2 mol H2O/2 mol O2) x (18.02 g H2O/1 mol H2O) = 54.0 g H2O

Since methane produces less water than oxygen, it is the limiting reactant. Therefore, the mass of water formed will be 21.6 g.

Methane and Oxygen React to Form Carbon Dioxide and Water