The combustion of petrol can be approximately represented by the

  • Thread starter Thread starter WowINeedHelp
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Combustion
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The combustion of petrol can be represented by the equation 2C8H18(g) + 25O2 -----> 16CO2 + 18H2O. The density of octane is 0.7 g/cm3, leading to a mass of 0.7 g for 1 L of petrol. The calculation for the amount of oxygen consumed when burning 1 L of petrol is determined by the molar ratio of petrol to oxygen, which is 25:2. The correct mass of oxygen used is 2.4 g, not the initially suggested 2.5 x 103 grams.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of stoichiometry in chemical reactions
  • Knowledge of molar mass calculations
  • Familiarity with the concept of density
  • Basic principles of combustion chemistry
NEXT STEPS
  • Study stoichiometric calculations in combustion reactions
  • Learn about molar mass determination for hydrocarbons
  • Research the properties and applications of octane
  • Explore the principles of gas laws and their relation to combustion
USEFUL FOR

Chemistry students, chemical engineers, and automotive engineers interested in combustion processes and fuel efficiency calculations.

WowINeedHelp
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
The combustion of petrol can be approximately represented by the equation

2C8H18(g) + 25O2 -----> 16CO2 + 18H2O

The density of Ocatane is 0.7 gcm(cubed)

What mass of oxygen is used up when 1L of petrol is burnt in a car engine?

ATTEMPT

0.7 gcm^{}-3 = 0.0007 gL^{}-1
Therefore
density = mass/volume
0.0007 gL^{}-1 = mass / 1 L
0.0007g = mass

amount (of petrol) = mass/molar mass
= 0.0007/228
= 0.000003 mols

therefore...amount of oxygen is 25 times amount i got for petrol?
so
n(o) = 0.000003*25
then
0.000075 = mass/molar mass
0.000075 = mass/32
0.0024g = mass


Have i blown it somewhere? I am not sure about the mols thing i did when going from petrol to oxygen... I mean do you times it by 25 OR 12.5 because the mol ratio is 2petrol + 25Oxygen
i think times by 25 because when finding molar mass for petrol I multiplied everything by 2

btw the right answer is appparentlyyyy 2.5*10^3 grams, what did i do? ahh
cheers
 
Physics news on Phys.org


Mass of 1L is not 0.0007g.

Please use [noparse]cm3[/noparse] tags for cm3 and [noparse]H2[/noparse] for H2.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
3K
Replies
9
Views
9K
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • · Replies 42 ·
2
Replies
42
Views
5K
Replies
2
Views
19K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
11K