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Ch.3 - Chemical Reactions and Reaction Stoichiometry
Chapter 3, Problem 113c

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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1
Calculate the area of the rug in square meters by multiplying its dimensions: 3.5 m * 4.5 m.
Convert the area of the rug from square meters to square yards using the conversion factor: 1 square meter = 1.19599 square yards.
Determine the total mass of Acrilan® fibers in the rug by multiplying the area in square yards by the mass of Acrilan® per square yard (850 g).
Calculate the mass of HCN that can be produced from the Acrilan® fibers using the percentage of HCN in the formula (50.9%) and the yield of HCN (20%).
Determine if the mass of HCN produced exceeds the lethal dose by comparing it to the lethal dose threshold (300 mg HCN per kilogram of air).

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Molar Mass and Mass Percent Composition

Understanding molar mass is crucial for calculating the mass percent composition of compounds. In this case, the empirical formula CH2CHCN indicates that HCN constitutes 50.9% of Acrilan® by mass. This concept allows us to determine how much HCN is produced from a given mass of Acrilan® fibers when burned.
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Yield and Consumption in Chemical Reactions

The yield of a chemical reaction refers to the amount of product formed compared to the theoretical maximum. In this scenario, the yield of HCN from Acrilan® fibers is given as 20%, and the carpet is assumed to be 50% consumed. This means only half of the fibers will contribute to HCN production, and only a fraction of that will actually be produced due to the yield.
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Lethal Dose and Toxicity Calculations

The lethal dose of a substance is the amount required to cause death in a specified proportion of a population. In this case, the lethal dose of HCN is approximately 300 mg per kilogram of air. To determine if a lethal dose is generated, one must calculate the total mass of HCN produced and compare it to the volume of air in the room, factoring in the density of air.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
A 3.50 g of an alloy which contains only lead and tin is dissolvedin hot HNO3. Excess sulfuric acid is added to thissolution and 1.57g of PbSO4(s) is obtained. (b) Assuming allthe lead in the alloy reacted to form PbSO4, what was theamount, in grams, of lead and tin in the alloy respectively?
Textbook Question

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)

Textbook Question

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.

Textbook Question

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?

Textbook Question

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.