Solving Chemical Reactions: Calculating Moles of Iron (Fe) from Iron(III) Oxide (Fe2O3) using Carbon Monoxide (CO)

When working with chemical reactions, it is often necessary to calculate the amount of reactants required or the products formed based on given stoichiometric ratios. This article will guide you through a step-by-step process to solve a specific problem related to the reduction of iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3) using carbon monoxide (CO), ultimately determining the moles of iron (Fe) produced.

Problem Statement

To solve this problem, we first need to look at the balanced chemical equation for the reduction of iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3) using carbon monoxide (CO). The balanced equation is:

Fe2O3 3CO → 2Fe 3CO2

Understanding the Stoichiometry

The balanced equation reveals the following stoichiometric relationships:

1 mole of Fe2O3 reacts with 3 moles of CO to produce 2 moles of Fe.

Step-by-Step Calculation

Our goal is to determine how many moles of Fe can be produced from 18 moles of CO. We'll follow these steps:

Step 1: Determine the Moles of Fe Produced per Mole of CO

From the balanced equation, we can find how many moles of Fe are produced per mole of CO:

3 moles of CO produce 2 moles of Fe. This means:

frac23; moles Fe per mole CO

Step 2: Calculate the Moles of Fe from 18 Moles of CO

Now, we'll use the conversion factor to find out how many moles of Fe can be produced from 18 moles of CO:

Moles of Fe Moles of CO times; frac23;

Plugging in the values:

Moles of Fe 18 moles CO times; frac23;

Calculating this:

Moles of Fe 18 times; frac23; 12 moles of Fe

Final Answer

Thus, 12 moles of iron (Fe) can be produced from 18 moles of carbon monoxide (CO) when reacting with Fe2O3.

Additional Calculations

For further calculations, let's consider the mass and volume of substances involved in this reaction:

The balanced chemical reaction equation is given below:

Fe2O3 3CO → 2Fe 3CO2

The molar masses are:

Fe2O3: 159.7 g/mol CO2: 44.01 g/mol

160 g Fe2O3 produces 132 g CO2

Therefore:

19.3 g Fe2O3 produces:

frac13; times; 132 g CO2 15.92 g CO2.

3 times; 22.4 liters CO2 at STP from Fe2O3

Therefore, 160 g Fe2O3 produces 3 times; 22.4 liters CO2 at STP. So, 19.3 g Fe2O3 produces:

frac13; times; 3 times; 22.4 liters CO2 8.11 liters CO2.

Summary

This article provided a detailed explanation and step-by-step guide on solving a specific chemical reaction problem. By understanding and applying stoichiometry, you can accurately determine the amounts of reactants and products in a chemical reaction.