How many molecules of oxygen are required to react with 174 g of carbon monoxide in the reaction #CO + O_2 -> CO_2#?

To determine the number of oxygen molecules required to react with 174 g of carbon monoxide (CO), you first need to convert the mass of CO to moles using its molar mass. Then, using the balanced chemical equation, you can find the mole ratio between CO and O2. Finally, you can convert the moles of O2 to molecules.

1. Calculate the moles of CO: ( \text{moles} = \frac{\text{mass}}{\text{molar mass}} )
2. Use the mole ratio from the balanced equation (which is 1:1 for CO and O2).
3. Convert the moles of O2 to molecules using Avogadro's number ((6.022 \times 10^{23}) molecules/mol).

Given:

• Molar mass of CO: 12.01 g/mol (carbon) + 15.999 g/mol (oxygen) = 28.01 g/mol
• Molar mass of O2: 2 * 15.999 g/mol = 31.998 g/mol

1. Moles of CO: ( \text{moles} = \frac{174 \text{ g}}{28.01 \text{ g/mol}} ) Moles of CO ≈ 6.207 mol

2. Since the balanced equation shows a 1:1 mole ratio between CO and O2, the moles of O2 required will also be 6.207 mol.

3. Convert moles of O2 to molecules: ( \text{Number of molecules} = \text{moles} \times 6.022 \times 10^{23} ) Number of molecules of O2 ≈ (6.207 \times 6.022 \times 10^{23})

Thus, approximately (3.739 \times 10^{24}) molecules of oxygen are required.