Calculation of Volume of Oxygen Required for Combustion of Methane

Methane is a hydrocarbon with the chemical formula CH4. When methane is burned in the presence of oxygen, it undergoes a combustion reaction. The products of this reaction are carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is:

CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O

The stoichiometry of this equation tells us that one molecule of methane requires two molecules of oxygen for complete combustion. In terms of volume, this means that one volume of methane requires two volumes of oxygen.

Steps to calculate the volume of oxygen required:

1. Determine the amount of methane present in the given volume.

The given volume of methane is 50 ml. The density of methane at standard conditions (0°C and 1 atm) is 0.717 g/l. Therefore, the mass of methane present in 50 ml is:

Mass of methane = Density × Volume = 0.717 g/l × 0.05 l = 0.03585 g

The molar mass of methane is 16 g/mol. Therefore, the number of moles of methane present in 0.03585 g is:

Moles of methane = Mass of methane / Molar mass = 0.03585 g / 16 g/mol = 0.002241 mol

2. Calculate the volume of oxygen required for complete combustion of methane.

From the balanced chemical equation, we know that one molecule of methane requires two molecules of oxygen. Therefore, the number of moles of oxygen required for the combustion of 0.002241 mol of methane is:

Moles of oxygen = 2 × Moles of methane = 2 × 0.002241 mol = 0.004482 mol

The molar volume of a gas at standard conditions is 22.4 L/mol. Therefore, the volume of oxygen required for the combustion of 50 ml of methane is:

Volume of oxygen = Moles of oxygen × Molar volume = 0.004482 mol × 22.4 L/mol = 0.10024 L or 100.24 ml

Conclusion

Therefore, the volume of oxygen required for the combustion of 50 ml of methane is 100.24 ml. It is important to note that this calculation assumes ideal conditions and complete combustion. In reality, the combustion reaction may not be complete and other factors such as temperature and pressure may also affect the volume of oxygen required.