Awebsite promoting the use of alternative energy vehicles and hybrid technologies claims that "a typical automobile in the usa uses about 500 gal of gasoline every year, producing about 5 tons of carbon dioxide." to determine the truth of this statement, calculate how many tons of carbon dioxide are produced when 500.0 gallon of gasoline are combusted. assume that the primary ingredient in gasoline is octane, c₈h₁₈(l), which has a density of 0.703?

The statement is correct since 500 gallon of gasolin produces 4.56 ton of carbon dioxide.

Explanation:

The combustion of gasoline follows the reation bellow:

C₈H₁₈ (l) + 17,5O₂ (g) → 8CO₂ (g) + 9H₂O (g)

This means that each mol of octane produces 8 mol of CO₂.

1 gallon 4546.09 mL C₈H₁₈

500 gallon    x

x = 2,273,045.00 mL C₈H₁₈

1 mL gasoline 0.703 g

2,273,045.00 mL C₈H₁₈  y

y = 1,597,950.635 g C₈H₁₈

1 mol C₈H₁₈ 126.239 g

            y            1,597,950.635 g

y = 12,966.274 mol C₈H₁₈

1 mol C₈H₁₈ 8 mol CO₂

12,966.274 mol C₈H₁₈  w

w = 103,730.192 mol CO₂

1 mol CO₂ 44 g

103,730.192 mol CO₂   z

z = 4564128.448 g CO₂

500 gallon of gasolin produces 4.56 ton of carbon dioxide.