In the formation of carbon dioxide (CO2), how many moles of carbon monoxide (CO) are needed to react completely with 7.0 moles of oxygen gas O2? 2 CO (g) + 1 O2(g) → 2 CO2 (g)

Answer 1

Hello, Valeria,

The balanced equation tells us that we need two moles of CO for every one mole of O₂. We use this as a conversion factor:

(2 moles CO)/(1 mole O₂)

If we completely react 7 moles of O₂, we'll need [(2 moles CO)/(1 mole O₂)] x [7 moles O₂] = 14 moles CO.

Bob