To determine the mass of water required for the formation of 175 grams of carbon monoxide (CO) from the reaction of coal (carbon, C) and water (H₂O) at high temperatures, we need to look at the balanced chemical equation for the reaction:
C (s) + H₂O (g) → CO (g) + H₂ (g)
From the equation, we can see that 1 mole of carbon reacts with 1 mole of water to produce 1 mole of carbon monoxide and 1 mole of hydrogen gas.
First, we need to find the number of moles of CO in 175 grams. The molar mass of CO is approximately 28 g/mol (12 g/mol for carbon and 16 g/mol for oxygen).
Number of moles of CO = Mass of CO / Molar mass of CO
Number of moles of CO = 175 g / 28 g/mol ≈ 6.25 moles
Since the reaction produces 1 mole of CO for every 1 mole of H₂O, we need 6.25 moles of water to produce 6.25 moles of CO.
Next, we calculate the mass of water required. The molar mass of water (H₂O) is approximately 18 g/mol (2 g/mol for hydrogen and 16 g/mol for oxygen).
Mass of H₂O = Number of moles of H₂O × Molar mass of H₂O
Mass of H₂O = 6.25 moles × 18 g/mol = 112.5 grams
Therefore, 112.5 grams of water is required to form 175 grams of carbon monoxide.