Question

9. Increases in carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere over the past 150 years have been linked to changing climate patterns. One of the major sources of carbon dioxide emissions is from combustion engines. How many liters of carbon dioxide (CO₂) are released if a car burns 2500.0g of gasoline (C-H₁) in the combustion reaction below? C5H12 + 8 O₂ → 5 CO₂ + 6 H₂O​

Answer 1

The molecular weight of C5H12 is 72.15 g/mol, and the molecular weight of CO₂ is 44.01 g/mol.

To calculate the amount of CO₂ produced when 2500.0g of C5H12 are burned, we first need to calculate the number of moles of C5H12:

2500.0g / 72.15 g/mol = 34.64 mol C5H12

According to the balanced equation, 5 moles of CO₂ are produced for every 1 mole of C5H12 burned, so we can calculate the number of moles of CO₂ produced:

34.64 mol C5H12 × 5 mol CO₂ / 1 mol C5H12 = 173.2 mol CO₂

Finally, we can convert the number of moles of CO₂ produced to liters using the ideal gas law:

PV = nRT

Assuming standard temperature and pressure (STP), which is 0°C and 1 atm, we can simplify the equation to:

V = n × 22.4 L/mol

V = 173.2 mol × 22.4 L/mol = 3876.7 L

Therefore, if a car burns 2500.0g of gasoline, it releases approximately 3876.7 L of carbon dioxide.