Hydrogen cyanide, HCN, is a poisonous gas. The lethal dose is approximately 300 mg HCN per kilogram of air when inhaled. (c) HCN forms when synthetic fibers containing Orlon® or Acrilan ® burn. Acrilan® has an empirical formula of CH2CHCN, so HCN is 50.9% of the formula by mass. A rug measures 3.5 × 4.5 m and contains 850 g of Acrilan® fibers per square yard of carpet. If the rug burns, will a lethal dose of HCN be generated in the room? Assume that the yield of HCN from the fibers is 20% and that the carpet is 50% consumed.


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Key Concepts
Molar Mass and Mass Percent Composition
Yield and Consumption in Chemical Reactions
Lethal Dose and Toxicity Calculations
Hydrogen cyanide, HCN, is a poisonous gas. The lethal dose is approximately 300 mg HCN per kilogram of air when inhaled. (a) Calculate the amount of HCN that gives the lethal dose in a small laboratory room measuring 3.5 × 4.5 × 2.5 m. The density of air at 26 °C is 0.00118 g/cm3. (b) If the HCN is formed by reaction of NaCN with an acid such as H2SO4, what mass of NaCN gives the lethal dose in the room? 2 NaCN(s) + H2SO4(aq) → Na2SO4(aq) + 2 HCN(g)
The source of oxygen that drives the internal combustion engine in an automobile is air. Air is a mixture of gases, principally N2(79%) and O2(20%). In the cylinder of an automobile engine, nitrogen can react with oxygen to produce nitric oxide gas, NO. As NO is emitted from the tailpipe of the car, it can react with more oxygen to produce nitrogen dioxide gas. (a) Write balanced chemical equations for both reactions.
The source of oxygen that drives the internal combustion engine in an automobile is air. Air is a mixture of gases, principally N2(79%) and O2(20%). In the cylinder of an automobile engine, nitrogen can react with oxygen to produce nitric oxide gas, NO. As NO is emitted from the tailpipe of the car, it can react with more oxygen to produce nitrogen dioxide gas. (b) Both nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide are pollutants that can lead to acid rain and global warming; collectively, they are called 'NOx' gases. In 2009, the United States emitted an estimated 19 million tons of nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere. How many grams of nitrogen dioxide is this?
The source of oxygen that drives the internal combustion engine in an automobile is air. Air is a mixture of gases, principally N2(79%) and O2(20%). In the cylinder of an automobile engine, nitrogen can react with oxygen to produce nitric oxide gas, NO. As NO is emitted from the tailpipe of the car, it can react with more oxygen to produce nitrogen dioxide gas. (c) The production of NOx gases is an unwanted side reaction of the main engine combustion process that turns octane, C8H18, into CO2 and water. If 85% of the oxygen in an engine is used to combust octane and the remainder used to produce nitrogen dioxide, calculate how many grams of nitrogen dioxide would be produced during the combustion of 500 g of octane.