Sodium (Na) metal undergoes a chemical reaction with chlorine (Cl) gas to yield sodium chloride, or common table salt. If 1.00 g of sodium reacts with 1.54 g of chlorine, 2.54 g of sodium chloride is formed and 17.9 kJ of heat is released, how much sodium and how much chlorine in grams would have to react to release 171 kcal of heat?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Convert the given heat release from kilojoules to kilocalories. Use the conversion factor 1 kcal = 4.184 kJ to convert 17.9 kJ to kcal.
2. Step 2: Determine the heat released per gram of sodium chloride formed. Use the converted heat value from Step 1 and the mass of sodium chloride (2.54 g) to find the heat released per gram.
3. Step 3: Calculate the total mass of sodium chloride that would release 171 kcal of heat. Use the heat per gram value from Step 2 to find the required mass of sodium chloride.
4. Step 4: Use stoichiometry to determine the mass of sodium and chlorine needed. Start by writing the balanced chemical equation: 2 Na + Cl_2 → 2 NaCl. Use the molar masses of Na, Cl_2, and NaCl to find the mass of each reactant needed to produce the calculated mass of NaCl from Step 3.
5. Step 5: Calculate the mass of sodium and chlorine required. Use the stoichiometric ratios from the balanced equation and the molar masses to find the mass of sodium and chlorine needed to produce the calculated mass of NaCl.