To determine the maximum amount of acetylene (C2H2) that can be formed from 50.0 grams of carbon (C) and 50.0 grams of hydrogen (H), we need to follow these steps:
- Calculate the moles of carbon and hydrogen:
- Moles of C = mass of C / molar mass of C = 50.0 g / 12.01 g/mol ≈ 4.16 mol
- Moles of H = mass of H / molar mass of H = 50.0 g / 1.008 g/mol ≈ 49.60 mol
- Determine the limiting reactant:
The balanced chemical equation for the formation of acetylene is:
2C + H2 → C2H2
From the equation, 2 moles of C react with 1 mole of H2 to form 1 mole of C2H2.
Since we have 4.16 moles of C and 49.60 moles of H, the limiting reactant is carbon (C) because it will be consumed first.
- Calculate the maximum amount of C2H2 that can be formed:
From the balanced equation, 2 moles of C produce 1 mole of C2H2.
Therefore, 4.16 moles of C will produce:
Moles of C2H2 = 4.16 mol C / 2 = 2.08 mol C2H2
Now, convert moles of C2H2 to grams:
Mass of C2H2 = moles of C2H2 × molar mass of C2H2 = 2.08 mol × 26.04 g/mol ≈ 54.16 g
Thus, the maximum amount of acetylene (C2H2) that can be formed from 50.0 grams of carbon and 50.0 grams of hydrogen is approximately 54.16 grams.