Understanding the Reaction
Sulfur burns in the presence of oxygen to form sulfur dioxide (SO₂). The balanced chemical equation is:
S + O₂ → SO₂
Conservation of Mass
The Law of Conservation of Mass states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in ordinary chemical reactions. This means the total mass of the reactants (sulfur and oxygen) must equal the total mass of the product (sulfur dioxide).
Calculating the Product Mass
1. Determine the molar mass of sulfur: Sulfur has a molar mass of approximately 32 g/mol.
2. Determine the molar mass of oxygen: Oxygen has a molar mass of approximately 16 g/mol (but remember it's O₂ so the molar mass is 32 g/mol).
3. Determine the molar mass of sulfur dioxide: SO₂ has a molar mass of 32 g/mol (sulfur) + 2 * 16 g/mol (oxygen) = 64 g/mol.
The key is to recognize that the reaction uses 1 mole of sulfur (32g) to form 1 mole of sulfur dioxide (64g). Since we are starting with 1g of sulfur, we can set up a simple proportion:
* (32 g sulfur) / (64 g sulfur dioxide) = (1 g sulfur) / (x g sulfur dioxide)
Solving for x:
* x = (1 g sulfur * 64 g sulfur dioxide) / 32 g sulfur
* x = 2 g sulfur dioxide
Therefore, when 1 gram of sulfur is burned, 2 grams of sulfur dioxide will be formed.
