Worked example

1.15 Consider the combustion of butane:

2CaH16(g)+ 13Oz(g) -+ 8CO2(d+ 10H2O(l)

10.009 of butane reacts exactly with 35.789 of oxygen to produce 30.289 of carbon dioxide.What mass of
water was produced?

The masses given represent an exact chemical reaction, so we assume that all the reactants are converted to products.
The total mass of the reacants: 10.00 + 35.78= 45.789.

The total mass of the products must also be 45.78g.

Therefore the mass of water=45.78-30.28= 15.50g.

Using moles There are three main steps in a

we often want to work out the mass of one reactant that reacts exactly moles calculation.
with a certain mass of another reactant - or how much product is formed 1 Work out the number of moles
when certain masses of reactants react.This can be done by calculating the of anything you can.
numbers of each molecule or atom present in a particular mass or, much IJse the chemical
more simply, by using the mole concept. (stoichiometric) equation to
As we have seen, one mole of any substance always contains the same work out the number of moles
number of particles, so if we know the number of moles present in a of the quantity you require.
certain mass of reactant we also know the number of particles and can Convert moles to the required
therefore work out what mass of another reactant it reacts with and how quantiry-volume, mass etc.
much product is formed.

Questions involving masses of substances

Worked examples
1.16 Consider the reaction of sodium with oxygen:
aNa(s) + Oz(g) -+ 2Na2O(s)
a How much sodium reacts exactly with 3.209 of oxygen?
b 'What mass of Na2O is produced?

Step 1 - the mass of oxygen is given, so the number of moles of oxygen

can be worked out (you could use the triangle shown here).

number of moles of oxygen ::+:0.100mo1

32.00

Note: the massof oxygen was given to three significant figures, so

all subsequent answers are also given to three significant figures.