This article provides a solution to a typical problem from a school chemistry course, which can be formulated as follows: "There are 50 moles of carbon dioxide. What is its mass?" Let us consider this question in more detail and give a solution with detailed calculations.
Carbon dioxide
Before proceeding to the answer to the question of what is the mass of carbon dioxide at 50 mol, let us get acquainted with this compound.
As the name implies, this substance is a gas under standard external conditions (air pressure - 101325 Pa and temperature - 0 o C). Its chemical formula is CO 2 , which is why it is often called carbon dioxide. It has no color or smell.
Carbon dioxide in the Earthβs atmosphere is present at a concentration of about 0.04 volume percent. Without it, life on our planet would have been impossible, since all green plants use it in the process of photosynthesis, the result of which is oxygen.
Mankind uses carbon dioxide in many areas: in the manufacture of cooling drinks, since it is highly soluble in water; as a creation of a neutral environment that protects the surface of objects from oxidation by oxygen; as a liquid cooling agent.
This gas is used in the chemical industry for the extraction of plant extracts, and it is also the working substance of some lasers.
What you need to know to solve the problem?
Having got acquainted with the chemical compound closer, we return to the task: "What is the mass of carbon dioxide in 50 mol?"
You must understand that the "mole" is a unit of measurement of the number of molecules of the compound in question. 1 mol of any substance contains 6.022 * 10 23 particles, this value is called the Avogadro number. Thus, knowing how much 1 mol of CO 2 weighs, we can answer the question of what is the mass of carbon dioxide at 50 mol.
The molar mass of any atom can be found in the periodic table of chemical elements. We write out the necessary numbers from it:
- M (C) = 12.0107 g / mol;
- M (O) = 15.999 g / mol.
What is the mass of carbon dioxide at 50 mol: solution
Now we proceed directly to the solution of the problem. The CO 2 molecule contains 1 carbon atom and 2 oxygen atoms. This means that in 1 mole of CO 2 molecules there will be 1 mol of C atoms and twice as many O atoms. Substituting the figures written from the table of D. I. Mendeleev, we obtain: M (CO 2 ) = M (C) + 2 * M (O) = 12.0107 + 2 * 15.999 = 44.0087 g / mol.
Thus, 1 mol of carbon dioxide molecules has a mass of 44.0087 grams. What is the mass of carbon dioxide at 50 mol? Of course, 50 times the value obtained. It is equal to: m = 50 * M (CO 2 ) = 50 * 44,0087 = 2200,435 grams, or 2.2 kilograms.
Under the noted standard conditions, the density of this gas is Ο = 1.977 kg / m 3 . This means that 50 mol of CO 2 will occupy the volume: V = m / Ο = 2.2 / 1.977 = 1.11 m 3 .