Gastric juice contains about 3.0 ~g of HCl per liter. If a person produce about 2.6 liters of gastric juice per day, find the number of antacid tablets required to neutralise all the HCl produced. Consider each antacid tablet contains 400 mg of Al ( OH )₃ . [Given, atomic masses : Al =27, O =16 , H =1, Cl =35.5]

Step-by-step solution

Balanced equation is as follows Al ( OH )₃+3 HCl AlCl ₃+3 H ₂ O aligned & Aluminium hydrochloric Aluminium & hydroxide acid chloride & 27+3(16+1) 3 365 & =78 ~g =109.5 ~g & aligned Mass of HCl produced per day =3 2.6=7.8 ~g Now, stoichiometry indicates that 109.5 ~g of HCl is generated/neutralised by 78 ~g of Al ( OH )₃ . 7.8 ~g of HCl is neutralised by 78 109.5 7.8 =5.556 ~g of Al ( OH )₃ Now, for 400 mg or 400 1000 ~g of Al ( OH )₃=1 tablet aligned 5.556 ~g of Al ( OH )₃ & = 1000 400 5.556 & =13.89 tablets & =14