When one pound of gasoline (made up of compounds of hydrogen and carbon) is burned in an automobile approximately 3 pounds of carbon dioxide, CO2, is given off. Carbon dioxide is one of the gases contributing to global warming. What information from this experiment helps explain how one pound of gasoline can give off approximately 3 times an much CO2?
3 answers
Carbon is about 1/3 the mass of CO2?(12/44 = 0.3)
why 12/44?
Carbon is about 12 for atomic mass. Molar mass CO2 is about 44.