When 3.0 g of carbon is burnt in 8.00 g of oxygen, 11.00 g of carbon dioxide is produced. What mass of carbon dioxide will be formed when 3.00 g of carbon is burnt in 50.00 g of oxygen? Which law of chemical combination will govern your answer?

Mass of Carbon Dioxide Produced when Carbon is Burnt in Oxygen

Given:

• Mass of Carbon (C) = 3.00 g
• Mass of Oxygen (O₂) = 8.00 g
• Mass of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) = 11.00 g

The chemical reaction for the combustion of carbon can be written as:

C + O₂ → CO₂    

Solution

We are asked to find the mass of carbon dioxide that will be produced when 3.00 g of carbon reacts with 50.00 g of oxygen.

According to the law of constant proportions (also known as the law of definite proportions), a chemical compound always combines in a fixed ratio by mass, regardless of the amount of the reactants. In this case, we are given the following information:

→ 3 g of Carbon (C) combines with 8 g of Oxygen (O₂) to form 11 g of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂).

We now need to determine how much Carbon Dioxide will be produced when 3.00 g of carbon reacts with 50.00 g of oxygen.

From the given information, we know the following ratio:

→ 3 g of Carbon requires 8 g of Oxygen to produce 11 g of CO₂    

Now, we calculate how much Carbon Dioxide is produced when 3.00 g of Carbon reacts with 50.00 g of Oxygen.

From the law of constant proportions, we know that:

→ 3 g of Carbon requires 8 g of Oxygen to produce 11 g of CO₂.

However, when 50.00 g of Oxygen is present, only 8.00 g of Oxygen is required to react with the 3.00 g of Carbon, as per the given proportions. Thus, the reaction will stop once all of the 3.00 g of Carbon has reacted with the 8.00 g of Oxygen.

The excess Oxygen (50.00 g - 8.00 g = 42.00 g) will remain unreacted, as there is no more Carbon to combine with it. Therefore, the total mass of Carbon Dioxide formed will be:

→ 11.00 g of CO₂ (formed when 3 g of Carbon reacts with 8 g of Oxygen).    

Conclusion

Thus, when 3.00 g of Carbon is burnt in 50.00 g of Oxygen, the mass of Carbon Dioxide formed will be 11.00 g, as the reaction stops once all of the Carbon reacts with the available Oxygen.

This process is governed by the Law of Constant Proportions, which states that a given compound always contains the same elements in the same proportion by mass, no matter the amount of the compound formed or the quantities of the reactants used.