Answer:
0.161moles
Explanation:
Given parameters:
Mass of Fe = 18g
Oxygen gas is in excess
Unknown:
Number of moles of Fe₂O₃ produced = ?
Solution:
To start with, let us write a chemically balanced equation before proceeding to understand the nuances of this problem.
4Fe + 3O₂ → 2Fe₂O₃
In the equation above above, 4 mole of iron combined with 3 moles of oxygen gas to 2 moles of Fe₂O₃.
In solving this problem, we can identify that Fe is the limiting reactant since we have been told oxygen gas is in excess. The suggests that the extent to which the product is formed and the reaction proceeds hinges on the amount of Fe we have.
It is best to work from the given, or known reactant to the unknown
The known in this scenario is the mass of Fe. Let us find the number of moles of this specie;
Number of moles of Fe = [tex]\frac{mass}{molar mass}[/tex]
Molar mass of Fe = 56g/mol
Number of moles = [tex]\frac{18}{56}[/tex] = 0.32mol
Using this known number of moles of Fe, we can relate it to that of the unknown amount of the product and obtain the number of moles.
4 moles of Fe produced 2 moles of Fe₂O₃
0.32 moles of Fe will produce [tex]\frac{0.32 x 2}{4}[/tex] = 0.161moles
