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?

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)

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.

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. (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.

The thermite reaction, Fe₂O₃ + Al → Al₂O₃ + Fe produces so much heat that the Fe product melts. This reaction is used industrially to weld metal parts under water, where a torch cannot be employed. It is also a favorite chemical demonstration in the lecture hall (on a small scale). (b) Calculate how many grams of aluminum are needed to completely react with 500.0 g of Fe₂O₃ in this reaction.

The thermite reaction, Fe₂O₃ + Al → Al₂O₃ + Fe produces so much heat that the Fe product melts. This reaction is used industrially to weld metal parts under water, where a torch cannot be employed. It is also a favorite chemical demonstration in the lecture hall (on a small scale). (c) This reaction produces 852 kJ of heat per mole of Fe₂O₃ reacted. How many grams of Fe₂O₃ are needed to produce 1.00 × 10⁴ kJ of heat?