Unit Conversions: kJ/mol to kJ/litre

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around converting energy values from kJ/mol to kJ/litre for a substance with a specified molar mass and density. The substance in question is Hexane, which raises questions about the consistency of energy values.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the necessary conversion factors, including molar mass and density, to facilitate the conversion from kJ/mol to kJ/litre. There are questions about the validity of the conversion process and the final energy value compared to known data for Hexane.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided guidance on using conversion factors and the importance of density in the calculations. There is ongoing exploration of the discrepancies between calculated values and known literature values for Hexane's heat of combustion.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the need for accurate density values and question the reliability of external sources like Wikipedia for energy values. There is an acknowledgment of potential typographical errors in the conversion factors discussed.

clintyip
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Let's say I have 4163 kJ/mol of energy coming from a substance with molar mass 86.14g/mol. How would I convert the 4163 kJ/mol of energy to kJ/litre?

Thanks.
 
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clintyip said:
Let's say I have 4163 kJ/mol of energy coming from a substance with molar mass 86.14g/mol. How would I convert the 4163 kJ/mol of energy to kJ/litre?

Thanks.

You'll need to also know the density (g/L) of the substance.
 
gneill said:
You'll need to also know the density (g/L) of the substance.

The density of this substance is 0.6548 g/mL.
 
your answer wants kJ on top, so you start with 4163 kJ/mol .
You multiply by a number that has moles on top , so they cancel.
but now there's something else on the bottom,
so you multiply by a number that has grams on top . then you're done.
 
But I don't have a number with mols on top o_o
 
Conversion factor

\frac {86.14 g} {1 mol}

can be reversed to

\frac {1 mol} {86.14 g}

The idea is that conversion factor equals 1, switching nominator and denominator doesn't change the value, although it moves units.
 
Borek said:
Conversion factor

\frac {86.14 g} {1 mol}

can be reversed to

\frac {1 mol} {86.14 g}

The idea is that conversion factor equals 1, switching nominator and denominator doesn't change the value, although it moves units.

That means, I can multiply 4163kj/mol by 1/86.14g, which then I get 4163kJ/86.14g.
Then I multiply this number by the density. So 4163kJ/86.14g x 0.6578g/mL
which equals to 31.64 kJ/mL

Is that right?
 
clintyip said:
I can multiply 4163kj/mol by 1/86.14g, which then I get 4163kJ/86.14g.

To be precise by 1 mol/86.14g, but I guess it is just a typo.

Then I multiply this number by the density. So 4163kJ/86.14g x 0.6578g/mL
which equals to 31.64 kJ/mL

Is that right?

OK so far, but you are not there yet - you need to convert it to kJ/L. But that's the simplest part.
 
Borek said:
To be precise by 1 mol/86.14g, but I guess it is just a typo.



OK so far, but you are not there yet - you need to convert it to kJ/L. But that's the simplest part.

Don't I just multiply it by 1000? So I get 31645.4 kJ/L.

But the thing is, this substance is Hexane, and according to Wikipedia, it has a heat of combustion of 29.3 kJ/L. The two numbers aren't even remotely close.
 
  • #10
clintyip said:
Don't I just multiply it by 1000? So I get 31645.4 kJ/L.

Yes.

But the thing is, this substance is Hexane, and according to Wikipedia, it has a heat of combustion of 29.3 kJ/L. The two numbers aren't even remotely close.

Obviously what they mean is MJ/L, otherwise their numbers are not consistent. As much as I like wikipedia, it is hardly a definite source.
 

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