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Ch.5 - Thermochemistry
Chapter 5, Problem 95

The heat of combustion of fructose, C6H12O6, is -2812 kJ/mol. If a fresh golden delicious apple weighing 4.23 oz (120 g) contains 16.0 g of fructose, what caloric content does the fructose contribute to the apple?

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1
Convert the mass of fructose from grams to moles using its molar mass. The molar mass of fructose (C_6H_{12}O_6) is calculated as follows: (6 \times 12.01) + (12 \times 1.01) + (6 \times 16.00) g/mol.
Use the moles of fructose to calculate the total energy released during combustion using the given heat of combustion value (-2812 kJ/mol).
Convert the energy from kilojoules to calories. Remember that 1 calorie = 4.184 joules, so you will need to convert kilojoules to joules first.
Convert the energy from calories to kilocalories (food calories), as nutritional information is typically given in kilocalories. Note that 1 kilocalorie = 1000 calories.
The final value represents the caloric content contributed by the fructose in the apple.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Heat of Combustion

The heat of combustion is the amount of energy released when a substance is completely burned in oxygen. It is typically expressed in kilojoules per mole (kJ/mol). For fructose, the heat of combustion is -2812 kJ/mol, indicating that this amount of energy is released when one mole of fructose is oxidized.
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Molar Mass

Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance, usually expressed in grams per mole (g/mol). For fructose (C6H12O6), the molar mass is approximately 180.18 g/mol. This value is essential for converting between grams of fructose and moles, which is necessary for calculating the energy content based on the heat of combustion.
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Caloric Content

Caloric content refers to the amount of energy provided by food, typically measured in calories or kilocalories. In this context, the caloric content contributed by fructose in the apple can be calculated by determining how many moles of fructose are present and multiplying by the heat of combustion, allowing us to express the energy contribution in familiar dietary terms.
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