Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 5: Problem 9

You may have noticed that water sometimes drips from the exhaust of a car as it is running. Is this evidence that there is at least a small amount of water originally present in the gasoline? Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The presence of water dripping from a car's exhaust is not evidence of water originally present in the gasoline. The water is produced as a byproduct of the combustion reaction between the hydrocarbons in gasoline and oxygen from the air. The combustion reaction is represented as: \(C_n H_{2n+2} + \frac{3n+1}{2} O_2 \rightarrow n CO_2 + (n+1) H_2O\) The water produced during combustion is initially in a gaseous state due to high temperatures in the engine. As the exhaust gases cool down, the gaseous water condenses into liquid water, which drips from the exhaust pipe when the car is running.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the composition of gasoline

Gasoline is a mixture of hydrocarbons, which are molecules containing hydrogen and carbon atoms. There may be trace amounts of other substances present in gasoline, such as additives, but water is not one of them.
02

Analyze the combustion process in a car engine

When gasoline is burned in a car engine, it undergoes a combustion reaction with oxygen. This process releases energy and produces carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) as byproducts. The chemical reaction is as follows: CnH2n+2 + (3n+1)/2 O2 → n CO2 + (n+1) H2O where n represents the number of carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon molecule.
03

Identify the source of water in the exhaust

As mentioned earlier, water is a byproduct of the combustion process. Due to the high temperatures inside the engine, the water produced during combustion is in a gaseous state. When the exhaust gases cool down in the exhaust pipe, the gaseous water condenses into liquid water. This is the water that drips from the exhaust pipe when the car is running.
04

Conclusion

The presence of water dripping from a car's exhaust is not evidence of water originally present in the gasoline. The water is produced as a result of the combustion reaction between the hydrocarbons in gasoline and oxygen from the air. This reaction produces carbon dioxide and water as byproducts, and the latter condenses into liquid water as the exhaust gases cool down.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

A common demonstration in chemistry courses involves adding a tiny speck of manganese(IV) oxide to a concentrated hydrogen peroxide \(\left(\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{2}\right)\) solution. Hydrogen peroxide decomposes quite spectacularly under these conditions to produce oxygen gas and steam (water vapor). Manganese(IV) oxide is a catalyst for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and is not consumed in the reaction. Write the balanced equation for the decomposition reaction of hydrogen peroxide.

Iron oxide ores, commonly a mixture of \(\mathrm{FeO}\) and \(\mathrm{Fe}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3},\) are given the general formula \(\mathrm{Fe}_{3} \mathrm{O}_{4}\). They yield elemental iron when heated to a very high temperature with either carbon monoxide or elemental hydrogen. Balance the following equations for these processes: $$\begin{array}{c}\mathrm{Fe}_{3} \mathrm{O}_{4}(s)+\mathrm{H}_{2}(g) \longrightarrow \mathrm{Fe}(s)+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}(g) \\\\\mathrm{Fe}_{3} \mathrm{O}_{4}(s)+\mathrm{CO}(g) \longrightarrow \mathrm{Fe}(s)+\mathrm{CO}_{2}(g)\end{array}$$

Consider the following reaction: $$4 \mathrm{NH}_{3}(g)+5 \mathrm{O}_{2}(g) \longrightarrow 4 \mathrm{NO}(g)+6 \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}(g)$$ If a container were to have 10 molecules of \(\mathrm{O}_{2}\) and 10 molecules of \(\mathrm{NH}_{3}\) initially, how many total molecules (reactants plus products) would be present in the container after this reaction goes to completion?

The compound adrenaline contains \(56.79 \%\) C, \(6.56 \%\) H, \(28.37 \%\) O, and \(8.28 \%\) N by mass. What is the empirical formula for adrenaline?

The reaction between potassium chlorate and red phosphorus takes place when you strike a match on a matchbox. If you were to react \(52.9 \mathrm{g}\) of potassium chlorate \(\left(\mathrm{KClO}_{3}\right)\) with excess red phosphorus, what mass of tetraphosphorus decaoxide \(\left(\mathbf{P}_{4} \mathbf{O}_{10}\right)\) could be produced? $$\mathrm{KClO}_{3}(s)+\mathrm{P}_{4}(s) \longrightarrow \mathrm{P}_{4} \mathrm{O}_{10}(s)+\mathrm{KCl}(s) \quad \text { (unbalanced) }$$
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Chemistry Textbooks

Chemical Reactions

Read Explanation

Chemical Analysis

Read Explanation

Ionic and Molecular Compounds

Read Explanation

Making Measurements

Read Explanation

Chemistry Branches

Read Explanation

Physical Chemistry

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free