Question #a0bc7

1 Answer
Nov 28, 2015

#"0.001 moles"#

Explanation:

As you know, plants use the photosynthesis reaction to convert carbon dioxide and water, in the presence of light and chlorophyll, into glucose and oxygen gas.

http://www.neshaminy.k12.pa.us/Page/20741

The key to this problem is the balanced chemical equation for the photosynthesis reaction, which looks like this

#6"CO"_text(2(g]) + 6"H"_2"O"_text((l]) + color(blue)("light") -> "C"_6"H"_12"O"_text(6(s]) + 6"O"_text(2(g])#

Notice that you have a #1:1# mole ratio between carbon dioxide and oxygen gas.

More specifically, for every #6# moles of carbon dioxide required by the reaction, #6# moles of oxygen gas are produced.

In your case, you want the chamber to maintain an initial number of #0.003# moles of #"CO"_2#. If the reaction produces #0.001# moles of #"O"_2# per hour, it follows that it consumes, per hour

#0.001 color(red)(cancel(color(black)("moles O"_2))) * "6 moles CO"_2/(6color(red)(cancel(color(black)("moles O"_2)))) = "0.001 moles CO"_2#

This means that the number of moles of carbon dioxide will decrease by #0.001# per hour. In order to keep it constant, you will need to add #0.001# moles of carbon dioxide per hour.