A mixture of CO and CO2 having a volume of 20 ml is mixed with x ml of oxygen and electrically sparked. The volume after explosion is (16 + x)ml under the same conditions. What would be the residue volume if 30 ml of the original mixture is treated with aqueous NaOH? (a) 12 ml (b) 10 ml (c) 9 ml (d) 8 ml

Question

A mixture of CO and CO2 having a volume of 20 ml is mixed with x ml of oxygen and electrically sparked. The volume after explosion is (16 + x)ml under the same conditions. What would be the residue volume if 30 ml of the original mixture is treated with aqueous NaOH?                                 (a) 12 ml      (b) 10 ml     (c) 9 ml     (d) 8 ml

DrBob222 · Answer

I may have missed something but I don't think this problem has been posted correctly. If I start with 20 mL CO and no mL CO2 it will form 20 mL CO2. If I start with no CO and 20 mL CO2 it will have 20 mL CO2 after the spark. I don't see how you can get less than 20 if you start with a mixture with a total of 20.