Determination of the Consumed Reactant

Oct 13, 2025 by magicalceylontours.com 77 views

Introduction

Incomplete combustion is a common phenomenon that occurs when a fuel, such as methanol, does not react completely with oxygen, resulting in the formation of incomplete products. In this article, we will explore the concept of incomplete combustion of methanol and determine which reactant is entirely consumed in this process.

Theoretical Background

Methanol, $CH_3OH$ , is a common fuel that can undergo complete or incomplete combustion. Complete combustion of methanol produces carbon dioxide and water as products, while incomplete combustion results in the formation of carbon monoxide and water.

The balanced equation for the complete combustion of methanol is:

CH_3OH + 3/2 O_2 \rightarrow CO_2 + 2 H_2O

The balanced equation for the incomplete combustion of methanol is:

CH_3OH + 1/2 O_2 \rightarrow CO + 2 H_2O

Given Data

We are given that 0.100 mol of methanol is combusted in 12.5 L of air, which is 21.0% v/v oxygen gas. We need to determine which reactant is entirely consumed in the incomplete combustion process.

Calculations

First, we need to calculate the number of moles of oxygen gas present in the air. We can do this by multiplying the volume of air by the percentage of oxygen gas and the density of oxygen gas.

n_{O_2} = V_{air} \times \frac{P_{O_2}}{P_{air}} \times \frac{1}{V_m}

where $n_{O_2}$ is the number of moles of oxygen gas, $V_{air}$ is the volume of air, $P_{O_2}$ is the partial pressure of oxygen gas, $P_{air}$ is the partial pressure of air, and $V_m$ is the molar volume of oxygen gas.

Assuming that the air is at standard temperature and pressure (STP), we can calculate the number of moles of oxygen gas as follows:

n_{O_2} = 12.5 \times \frac{0.21}{1} \times \frac{1}{22.4} = 0.0117 \text{ mol}

Determination of the Consumed Reactant

Now that we have calculated the number of moles of oxygen gas present in the air, we can determine which reactant is entirely consumed in the incomplete combustion process.

From the balanced equation for the incomplete combustion of methanol, we can see that 1/2 mole of oxygen gas is required to react with 1 mole of methanol.

Since we have 0.100 mol of methanol and 0.0117 mol of oxygen gas, we can calculate the number of moles of oxygen gas that will be consumed in the incomplete combustion process as follows:

n_{O_2} = \frac{0.100}{2} = 0.05 \text{ mol}

Since the number of moles of oxygen gas consumed (0.05 mol) is less than the number of moles of oxygen gas present in the air (0.0117 mol), we can conclude that the oxygen gas is entirely consumed in the incomplete combustion process.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored the concept of incomplete combustion of methanol and determined which reactant is entirely consumed in this process. We have calculated the number of moles of oxygen gas present in the air and determined that the oxygen gas is entirely consumed in the incomplete combustion process.

References

[1] "Chemical Equilibrium" by John W. Moore
[2] "General Chemistry" by Linus Pauling

Appendix

The following table summarizes the calculations performed in this article:

Quantity	Value
$n_{CH_3OH}$	0.100 mol
$V_{air}$	12.5 L
$P_{O_2}$	0.21
$P_{air}$	1
$V_m$	22.4 L/mol
$n_{O_2}$	0.0117 mol
$n_{O_2} \text{ consumed}$	0.05 mol

Introduction

In our previous article, we explored the concept of incomplete combustion of methanol and determined which reactant is entirely consumed in this process. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive Q&A section to help clarify any doubts and provide further insights into the topic.

Q&A

Q1: What is incomplete combustion of methanol?

A1: Incomplete combustion of methanol is a process where methanol does not react completely with oxygen, resulting in the formation of incomplete products such as carbon monoxide and water.

Q2: What are the products of incomplete combustion of methanol?

A2: The products of incomplete combustion of methanol are carbon monoxide (CO) and water (H2O).

Q3: What is the balanced equation for the incomplete combustion of methanol?

A3: The balanced equation for the incomplete combustion of methanol is:

CH_3OH + 1/2 O_2 \rightarrow CO + 2 H_2O

Q4: How do we calculate the number of moles of oxygen gas present in the air?

A4: We can calculate the number of moles of oxygen gas present in the air by multiplying the volume of air by the percentage of oxygen gas and the density of oxygen gas.

Q5: What is the significance of the molar volume of oxygen gas in the calculation?

A5: The molar volume of oxygen gas is used to convert the volume of oxygen gas from liters to moles.

Q6: How do we determine which reactant is entirely consumed in the incomplete combustion process?

A6: We can determine which reactant is entirely consumed by comparing the number of moles of oxygen gas consumed with the number of moles of oxygen gas present in the air.

Q7: What is the relationship between the number of moles of methanol and the number of moles of oxygen gas consumed?

A7: The number of moles of methanol is twice the number of moles of oxygen gas consumed.

Q8: What is the implication of the oxygen gas being entirely consumed in the incomplete combustion process?

A8: The implication is that the oxygen gas is the limiting reactant in the incomplete combustion process.

Q9: What are the potential hazards associated with incomplete combustion of methanol?

A9: The potential hazards associated with incomplete combustion of methanol include the formation of carbon monoxide, a toxic gas that can cause respiratory problems and even death.

Q10: How can we prevent incomplete combustion of methanol?

A10: We can prevent incomplete combustion of methanol by ensuring that there is sufficient oxygen gas present in the combustion process.

Conclusion

In this article, we have provided a comprehensive Q&A section to help clarify any doubts and provide further insights into the topic of incomplete combustion of methanol. We hope that this article has been helpful in understanding the concept of incomplete combustion of methanol and its implications.

References

[1] "Chemical Equilibrium" by John W. Moore
[2] "General Chemistry" by Linus Pauling

Appendix

The following table summarizes the Q&A section:

Question	Answer
Q1	Incomplete combustion of methanol is a process where methanol does not react completely with oxygen, resulting in the formation of incomplete products such as carbon monoxide and water.
Q2	The products of incomplete combustion of methanol are carbon monoxide (CO) and water (H2O).
Q3	The balanced equation for the incomplete combustion of methanol is: $CH_3OH + 1/2 O_2 \rightarrow CO + 2 H_2O$
Q4	We can calculate the number of moles of oxygen gas present in the air by multiplying the volume of air by the percentage of oxygen gas and the density of oxygen gas.
Q5	The molar volume of oxygen gas is used to convert the volume of oxygen gas from liters to moles.
Q6	We can determine which reactant is entirely consumed by comparing the number of moles of oxygen gas consumed with the number of moles of oxygen gas present in the air.
Q7	The number of moles of methanol is twice the number of moles of oxygen gas consumed.
Q8	The implication is that the oxygen gas is the limiting reactant in the incomplete combustion process.
Q9	The potential hazards associated with incomplete combustion of methanol include the formation of carbon monoxide, a toxic gas that can cause respiratory problems and even death.
Q10	We can prevent incomplete combustion of methanol by ensuring that there is sufficient oxygen gas present in the combustion process.