A method used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for determining the concentration of ozone in air is to pass the air sample through a 'bubbler' containing sodium iodide, which removes the ozone according to the following equation: O31g2 + 2 NaI1aq2 + H2O1l2¡ O21g2 + I21s2 + 2 NaOH1aq2 (a) How many moles of sodium iodide are needed to remove 5.95 * 10-6 mol of O3?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the balanced chemical equation: \( \text{O}_3(g) + 2 \text{NaI}(aq) + \text{H}_2\text{O}(l) \rightarrow \text{O}_2(g) + \text{I}_2(s) + 2 \text{NaOH}(aq) \).
2. Determine the stoichiometric relationship between \( \text{O}_3 \) and \( \text{NaI} \) from the balanced equation. For every mole of \( \text{O}_3 \), 2 moles of \( \text{NaI} \) are required.
3. Calculate the moles of \( \text{NaI} \) needed using the stoichiometric ratio: \( 2 \text{ moles NaI} / 1 \text{ mole O}_3 \).
4. Multiply the given moles of \( \text{O}_3 \) by the stoichiometric ratio to find the moles of \( \text{NaI} \) needed: \( 5.95 \times 10^{-6} \text{ mol O}_3 \times \frac{2 \text{ mol NaI}}{1 \text{ mol O}_3} \).
5. Perform the multiplication to determine the moles of \( \text{NaI} \) required.

Key Concepts

Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry is the branch of chemistry that deals with the quantitative relationships between the reactants and products in a chemical reaction. It allows us to calculate how much of a substance is needed or produced based on the balanced chemical equation. In this case, understanding the stoichiometric coefficients from the reaction equation is essential to determine the moles of sodium iodide required to react with a given amount of ozone.

Mole Concept

The mole concept is a fundamental principle in chemistry that defines the amount of substance. One mole corresponds to 6.022 x 10²³ entities (atoms, molecules, etc.). This concept is crucial for converting between the mass of a substance and the number of moles, allowing us to relate the quantities of reactants and products in a chemical reaction, such as the amount of sodium iodide needed to react with ozone.

Balancing Chemical Equations

Balancing chemical equations is the process of ensuring that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation. This is important because it reflects the conservation of mass in a chemical reaction. In the provided reaction, the coefficients indicate the molar ratios of ozone and sodium iodide, which are necessary for calculating the required moles of sodium iodide to completely react with the specified amount of ozone.