A volume of #20*cm^3# acetylene was combusted with a volume of #500*cm^3# dioxygen in a piston. What is the end volume of the gases confined by the piston?

1 Answer
anor277
Aug 29, 2017

Good question......I gets an end volume of #490*cm^3#

Explanation:

We gots the combustion equation.....

#HC-=CH(g) + 5/2O_2(g) rarr 2CO_2(g) +H_2O(l)+Delta#

I use the half-integral coefficient because I think the arithmetic is easier in this way. Is it balanced? It is your problem not mine.

And so we start with #20*cm^3# acetylene, which required #50*cm^3# of dioxygen, and gives #40*cm^3# carbon dioxide gas upon complete combustion. I assume that the water has condensed. Agreed?

And so to begin we had a #(20_"acetylene"+500_"dioxygen")*cm^3# volume of gas.....

To end we had ............ #(520_"starting volume"-50_"dioxygen"-20_"acetylene"+40_(CO_2))*cm^3=490*cm^3#

Do you agree? All care taken but no responsibility admitted.

Related questions
See all questions in Gas Stoichiometry
Impact of this question
1613 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License