Understanding the Relationship

* CO2 (Carbon Dioxide): The formula tells us that one molecule of CO2 contains one carbon atom (C) and two oxygen atoms (O).

Calculating Oxygen Atoms

1. Moles of Carbon: Since we're dealing with a very small amount of carbon, let's first convert the given amount to moles. We'll need the molar mass of carbon (12.01 g/mol).

* 0.00000000003 g C * (1 mol C / 12.01 g C) = 2.5 x 10^-12 mol C

2. Moles of Oxygen: The ratio in CO2 is 1:2 (one carbon atom for every two oxygen atoms).

* 2.5 x 10^-12 mol C * (2 mol O / 1 mol C) = 5.0 x 10^-12 mol O

3. Atoms of Oxygen: Now we need to convert moles of oxygen to the number of atoms. We'll use Avogadro's number (6.022 x 10^23 atoms/mol).

* 5.0 x 10^-12 mol O * (6.022 x 10^23 atoms O / 1 mol O) = 3.01 x 10^12 atoms of O

Answer: You would need 3.01 x 10^12 atoms of oxygen to combine with 0.00000000003 g of carbon to form CO2.