The combustion of methane, CH4(g) , can be described in the following equation:?

Question

CH4(g) + 2O2(g) --> CO2(g) + 2H2O(g). If 150 moles of carbon dioxide are produced, what mass, in grams, of methane is required?

Answer 1

2400 g

Answer 2

Using the balanced combustion equation you have written, it can be seen that for every mole of methane burned, one mole of carbon dioxide is produced. Thus, if 150 moles of carbon dioxide are produced, 150 moles of methane are being used.

Now, we need to convert that to grams. Using the molecular weight of methane as 16.0425 g/mol:

(16.0425 g/mol) * (150 mol) = 2,406.375 grams of methane