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Ch.3 - Chemical Reactions and Reaction Stoichiometry
Chapter 3, Problem 68d

The complete combustion of octane, C8H18, a component of gasoline, proceeds as follows: 2 C8H18(l) + 25 O2(g) → 16 CO2(g) + 18 H2O(g). (d) How many grams of CO2 are produced when 15.0 gal of C8H18 are combusted? (d) How many grams of CO2 are produced when 15.0 gal of C8H18 are combusted?

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1
First, convert the volume of octane from gallons to liters using the conversion factor: 1 gallon = 3.78541 liters.
Next, calculate the mass of octane in grams. Use the density of octane, which is approximately 0.703 g/mL, to convert the volume in liters to mass in grams.
Determine the number of moles of octane (C8H18) using its molar mass. The molar mass of C8H18 is calculated by adding the atomic masses of carbon and hydrogen: (8 * 12.01 g/mol for C) + (18 * 1.008 g/mol for H).
Use the stoichiometry of the balanced chemical equation to find the moles of CO2 produced. According to the equation, 2 moles of C8H18 produce 16 moles of CO2. Use this ratio to calculate the moles of CO2 from the moles of C8H18.
Finally, convert the moles of CO2 to grams using the molar mass of CO2, which is 44.01 g/mol. Multiply the moles of CO2 by this molar mass to find the mass of CO2 produced.

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