An automobile gasoline tank holds 21 kg of gasoline. When the gasoline burns, 84 kg of oxygen is consumed, and carbon dioxide and water are produced. What is the total combined mass of carbon dioxide and water that is produced?

Key Concepts

Law of Conservation of Mass

The Law of Conservation of Mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. This principle implies that the total mass of reactants must equal the total mass of products. In the context of the combustion of gasoline, the mass of gasoline and oxygen consumed will equal the mass of carbon dioxide and water produced.

Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry is the calculation of reactants and products in chemical reactions based on balanced chemical equations. It allows us to determine the proportions of substances involved in a reaction. In this case, knowing the amounts of gasoline and oxygen helps us calculate the resulting masses of carbon dioxide and water produced during combustion.

Combustion Reaction

A combustion reaction is a chemical process in which a substance (typically a hydrocarbon like gasoline) reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water, releasing energy. The general form of a combustion reaction can be represented as: hydrocarbon + O2 → CO2 + H2O. Understanding this type of reaction is essential for predicting the products and their masses in the given scenario.