Final answer:
To calculate the amount of oxygen in moles contained within 3.88 moles of triflic acid, multiply the number of moles by 3 (due to there being three oxygen atoms in triflic acid) to get 11.64 moles of oxygen.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked how many moles of oxygen are in 3.88 moles of triflic acid. Triflic acid has the chemical formula CF₃SO₃H, which includes three atoms of fluorine, one atom of sulfur, two atoms of oxygen in the sulfonate group, and one additional oxygen atom in the hydroxyl group, making a total of three oxygen atoms in one molecule of triflic acid.
To find the total moles of oxygen in 3.88 moles of triflic acid, we multiply the number of moles of triflic acid by the number of oxygen atoms per molecule. Therefore:
3.88 moles of triflic acid x 3 oxygen atoms/molecule = 11.64 moles of oxygen.
This calculation assumes that the triflic acid is present as discrete molecules.