The reform reaction between steam and gaseous methane (CH4) produces "synthesis gas," a mixture of carbon monoxide gas and dihydrogen gas. Synthesis gas is one of the most widely used industrial chemicals, and is the major industrial source of hydrogen.
Suppose a chemical engineer studying a new catalyst for the reform reaction finds that 924 liters per second of methane are consumed when the reaction is run at 261°C and 0.96atm. Calculate the rate at which dihydrogen is being produced. Give your answer in kilograms per second. Round your answer to 2 significant digits.
Answer: The rate at which dihydrogen is being produced is 0.12 kg/sec
Explanation:
The balanced chemical equation is ;
[tex]CH_4+H_2O\rightarrow 3H_2+CO[/tex]
According to ideal gas equation:
[tex]PV=nRT[/tex]
P = pressure of gas = 0.96 atm
V = Volume of gas = 924 L
n = number of moles
R = gas constant =[tex]0.0821Latm/Kmol[/tex]
T =temperature =[tex]261^0C=(261+273)K=534K[/tex]
[tex]n=\frac{PV}{RT}[/tex]
[tex]n=\frac{0.96atm\times 924L}{0.0820 L atm/K mol\times 534K}=20.2moles[/tex]
According to stoichiometry:
1 mole of methane produces = 3 moles of hydrogen
Thus 20.2 moles of methane produces = [tex]\frac{3}{1}\times 20.2=60.6[/tex] moles of hydrogen
Mass of hydrogen =[tex]moles\times {\text {Molar mass}}=60.6mol\times 2g/mol=121.2g=0.12kg[/tex]
Thus the rate at which dihydrogen is being produced is 0.12 kg/sec