How many grams of sodium hydrogen carbonate, NaHCO3, must be heated to produce 2.50 dm3 of...?

Question

How many grams of sodium hydrogen carbonate, NaHCO3, must be heated to produce 2.50 dm3 of carbon dioxide measured at 22.5 degrees celsius and 97.5 kPa? The other products are sodium carbonate and water.

Answer 1

If you assume that the only gas is CO2, and that the water is liquid, then the equation for the decomposition is:

2 NaHCO3 --> CO2 + H2O + Na2CO3

Start with the ideal gas law to calculate the number of moles of CO2 gas that you want to form.

Multiply the moles of CO2 by 2 to get the moles of NaHCO3 you must start with. Finally, use the molar mass of NaHCO3 to calculate the mass of NaHCO3 you need to heat.