Question

Automobiles are often implicated as contributors to global warming because they are a source of the greenhouse gas CO2. How many pounds of CO2 would your car release in a year if it was driven 170. miles per week? Gasoline is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons. In your calculations, assume that gasoline is isooctane (molecular formula C8H18) and that it is burned completely to CO2 and H2O in the engine of your car. Also assume that the car averages 27.5 miles per gallon and that the density of isooctane is 0.692 g cm-3.

Answer 1

Answer:

5,747.82 pounds of $CO_2$ would your car release in a year if it was driven 170 miles per week.

Explanation:

Mileage of the car = 27.5 miles/gal

Distance driven by car in week = 170 miles

Distance driven by car in a day= $\frac{170 miles}{7}=24.286 mile$

Volume of gasoline used in a day : V

$\frac{24.286 mile}{27.5 miles/gal}=0.8831 gal=0.8831\times 3785.41 cm^3=3,342.96 cm^3$

$1 gal = 3785.41 mL = 3785.41 cm^3$

Density of the gasoline = d= $0.692 g/cm^3$

Mass of the gasoline used in a day = m

$m=d\times V=0.692 g/cm^3\times 3,342.96 cm^3=2,313.33 g$

$2C_8H_{18}+25O_2\rightarrow 16CO_2+18H_2O$

Moles of gasoline ( isooctane):

=$\frac{2,313.33 g}{114 g/mol}=20.292 mol$

According to reaction , 2 moles of isooctane gives 16 moles of carbon dioxide gas.Then 20.292 mole isooctane will give :

$\frac{16}{2}\times 20.292 mol=162.340 mol$ of carbon dioxide gas

Mass of 162.340 moles of carbon dioxide gas :

162.340 mol × 44 g/mol = 7,142.91 g

Mass of carbon dioxide gas produced in a day =  7,142.91 g

1 year = 365 days

Mass of carbon dioxide gas produced in a 365 days:

= 365 × 7,142.91 g = 2,607,163.494 g

1 pound = 453.592 g

$2,607,163.494 g=\frac{ 2,607,163.494}{453.592} pounds=5,747.82 pounds$

5,747.82 pounds of $CO_2$ would your car release in a year if it was driven 170 miles per week.