If you know 10 moles of C4H10 undergoes combustion with excess oxygen, what’s the maximum amount of carbon dioxide that will be produced?

Question

Make sure you show your work to get credit, including the balanced reaction.

Answer 1

Hello, Arshi,

Please explain which part of a problem you'd like help on. Otherwise, it is hard to know where a responder should focus their effort. I'll cover this problem briefly, but please ask if there is a step you don't understand.

We need a balanced equation to start.

This tells us that we'll get 8 moles of CO2 per 2 moles of butane, for a molar ratio of 4 (moles CO2/mole C4H10).

We have 10 moles of butane, so we will produce 2*10 moles of CO2. It asks for the amount of CO2 produced, but no desired units. Moles is a measure of quantity, but grams is also a common unit requested. To find grams CO2, multiply the 20 moles of CO2 by the molar mass of CO2 (44 g/mole).

Bob