Fermentation is a complex chemical process of wine making in which glucose is converted into ethanol and carbon dioxide: $$ \mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{12} \mathrm{O}_{6} \longrightarrow 2 \mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{OH}+2 \mathrm{CO}_{2} $$ glucose ethanol Starting with \(500.4 \mathrm{~g}\) of glucose, what is the maximum amount of ethanol in grams and in liters that can be obtained by this process? (Density of ethanol = \(0.789 \mathrm{~g} / \mathrm{mL} .)\)

Short Answer

Expert verified
The maximum amount of ethanol that can be created from 500.4 g of glucose is approximately 256.3 g or 0.325 L.

Step by step solution

01

Calculate the Molar Masses

First, you need to determine the molar masses for glucose and ethanol. Using the periodic table, the molar mass of glucose, \(\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{12} \mathrm{O}_{6}\), can be calculated as: \( 6(12.01 \mathrm{g/mol}) + 12(1.01 \mathrm{g/mol}) + 6(16.00 \mathrm{g/mol}) = 180.18 \mathrm{g/mol} \). The molar mass of ethanol, \(\mathrm{C}_{2}\mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{OH}\), is: \( 2(12.01 \mathrm{g/mol}) + 6(1.01 \mathrm{g/mol}) + 1(16.00 \mathrm{g/mol}) + 1(1.01 \mathrm{g/mol}) = 46.07 \mathrm{g/mol} \).
02

Calculate Moles of Glucose

Next, convert the mass of glucose to moles using its molar mass. By doing so, \(500.4 \mathrm{g}\) of glucose converts to: \( \frac{500.4 \mathrm{g}}{180.18 \mathrm{g/mol}} = 2.78 \mathrm{mol} \) of glucose.
03

Determine Moles of Ethanol

According to the balanced chemical equation, one mole of glucose (\(\mathrm{C}_{6}\mathrm{H}_{12}\mathrm{O}_{6}\)) yields two moles of ethanol (\(\mathrm{C}_{2}\mathrm{H}_{5}\mathrm{OH}\)). Therefore, \(2.78 \mathrm{mol}\) of glucose will yield: \(2.78 \mathrm{mol} * 2 = 5.56 \mathrm{mol}\) of ethanol.
04

Convert Moles of Ethanol to grams

To convert these moles of ethanol back to grams, multiply by the molar mass of ethanol, yielding: \(5.56 \mathrm{mol} * 46.07 \mathrm{g/mol} = 256.3 \mathrm{g}\) of ethanol.
05

Convert Grams of Ethanol to liters

To convert grams of ethanol to liters, use the density of ethanol as a conversion factor. This yields: \( \frac{256.3 \mathrm{g}}{0.789 \mathrm{g/mL}} = 324.7 \mathrm{mL}\), or equivalently 0.325 L, of ethanol.

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