A hydrogen-filled balloon is ignited and 1.50 g of hydrogen is reacted with 12.0 g of oxygen. How many grams of water vapor form? (Assume that water vapor is the only product.)

Verified step by step guidance

1. First, write down the balanced chemical equation for the reaction. Hydrogen reacts with oxygen to form water. The balanced chemical equation is: 2H2(g) + O2(g) -> 2H2O(g)
2. Next, calculate the number of moles of hydrogen and oxygen using their respective molar masses. The molar mass of hydrogen (H2) is approximately 2 g/mol and the molar mass of oxygen (O2) is approximately 32 g/mol.
3. Then, determine the limiting reactant. This is the reactant that will be completely consumed in the reaction and will determine the maximum amount of product that can be formed. Compare the mole ratio of hydrogen to oxygen in the balanced chemical equation with the ratio of the number of moles of hydrogen to oxygen that you calculated in the previous step.
4. Once you've identified the limiting reactant, use the stoichiometry of the reaction to calculate the number of moles of water that can be formed. The balanced chemical equation tells you that 2 moles of hydrogen react with 1 mole of oxygen to form 2 moles of water.
5. Finally, convert the number of moles of water to grams using the molar mass of water. The molar mass of water (H2O) is approximately 18 g/mol.

Key Concepts

Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry is the branch of chemistry that deals with the quantitative relationships between reactants and products in a chemical reaction. It allows us to calculate the amounts of substances consumed and produced in a reaction based on balanced chemical equations. In this case, it helps determine how much water vapor is produced from the given amounts of hydrogen and oxygen.

Balanced Chemical Equation

A balanced chemical equation represents a chemical reaction with equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides of the equation. For the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to form water, the balanced equation is 2H₂ + O₂ → 2H₂O. This equation is essential for stoichiometric calculations, as it provides the mole ratios needed to convert grams of reactants into grams of products.

Molar Mass

Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance, typically expressed in grams per mole (g/mol). It is crucial for converting between grams and moles in stoichiometric calculations. For example, the molar mass of water (H₂O) is approximately 18.02 g/mol, which will be used to calculate the mass of water vapor produced from the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen.