Combustion of Propane: How Much Carbon Dioxide is Produced?

What is the mass of carbon dioxide produced upon the complete combustion of 26.5 L of propane?

Assume that the density of the liquid propane in the tank is 0.621 g/mL.

How much carbon dioxide is produced in the combustion process?

A. 49.24 kg

B. 55.36 kg

C. 38.79 kg

D. 42.11 kg

Answer:

The combustion of 26.5 L of propane results in the production of approximately 49.24kg of carbon dioxide.

When 26.5 L of propane undergoes complete combustion, it produces a significant amount of carbon dioxide. The process involves stoichiometry calculations based on the balanced combustion equation.

The balanced chemical equation for the combustion of propane is: C3H8 + 5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O. This equation shows that for every mole of propane (C3H8) combusted, 3 moles of carbon dioxide (CO2) are produced.

Firstly, we need to determine the mass of propane in the given volume. The density of liquid propane is 0.621 g/mL, so the mass of 26.5 L of propane is calculated as 26.5 L * 1000 mL/L * 0.621 g/mL = 16453.015g.

The molar mass of propane is approximately 44.1g/mol. Therefore, the moles of propane in 26.5 L is calculated as 16453.015g / 44.1g/mol = 373.09 mol.

Since each mole of propane produces 3 moles of carbon dioxide, the moles of carbon dioxide produced in the combustion process is 3 * 373.09 = 1119.27 mol.

The molar mass of carbon dioxide is approximately 44.01g/mol. Thus, the mass of carbon dioxide produced is calculated as 1119.27 mol * 44.01g/mol = 49239.9127 g or 49.24 kg.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is approximately 49.24 kg of carbon dioxide produced in the combustion of 26.5 L of propane.