A gaseous hydrocarbon is completely combusted in excess oxygen at constant pressure
CHEMISTRY · Multi-part · AP · Chemistry · Atomic Structure and Properties · Atomic Structure and Properties
Problem
A gaseous hydrocarbon is completely combusted in excess oxygen at constant pressure. A 1.50 g sample of the gas produces 4.40 g of CO₂ and 1.80 g of H₂O.
Answer the following questions related to the combustion experiment.
(a) Calculate the number of moles of carbon and of hydrogen present in the products.
(b) Use the results from part (a) to determine the empirical formula of the hydrocarbon.
(c) Write a balanced chemical equation for the complete combustion of the hydrocarbon with O₂, using the smallest whole-number coefficients.
(d) Explain how the equation you wrote in part (c) demonstrates the conservation of mass at the atomic level.