A sample of ethane ( C₂H₆ ) is subjected to complete combustion, producing exactly 88 g of carbon dioxide. The mass of ethane combusted in this process is (Given: atomic mass in amu H =1 , C =12 and O =16 )

Step-by-step solution

The balanced chemical equation for the complete combustion of ethane is: C₂H₆ + 7 2 O₂ 2CO₂ + 3H₂O Molar mass of CO₂ = 12 + 2 16 = 44 g/mol Number of moles of CO₂ produced = 88 44 = 2 moles From the balanced equation, 1 mole of ethane ( C₂H₆ ) produces 2 moles of CO₂ . Therefore, exactly 1 mole of ethane must have been combusted to produce 2 moles of CO₂ . Molar mass of ethane ( C₂H₆ ) = 2 12 + 6 1 = 30 g/mol Mass of ethane combusted = 1 30 = 30 g Answer: 30 g