Question

The rusting of iron is due to its reaction with oxygen. An iron nail weighing 8.531 g was left outdoors for a period of one year. After the one year it was found to have a mass of 12.197 g. How many grams of oxygen did the nail react with

Answer 1

Answer:

m(O₂) = 3.666 g

Explanation:

The rusting of iron is due to its reaction with oxygen. The balanced equation is:

4 Fe + 3 O₂ → 2 Fe₂O₃

According to Lavoisier's law of conservation of mass, the sum of the masses of the reactants is equal to the sum of the masses of the products.

m(reactants) = m(products)

m(Fe) + m(O₂) = m(Fe₂O₃)

8.531 g + m(O₂) = 12.197 g

m(O₂) = 3.666 g