Sometimes energy needed for chemical plants comes from burning all sorts of combinations of hydrocarbons.

Sometimes energy needed for chemical plants comes from burning all sorts of combinations of

hydrocarbons. You are conducting an audit on a company and need to determine the average

composition of the fuel that they have been burning. They report that they supply oxygen in 20%

excess of that required to burn the fuel completely. Their data sheets show that on average, the

chemicals leaving their furnaces are 72.0% carbon dioxide, 2.57% carbon monoxide, 0.0592%

sulfur dioxide, and 25.4% oxygen, as a molar composition, but when you question them about

the lack of water (where would the hydrogen go?), they agree that there is water in the furnace

exit, but they do not keep track of it, because the humidity in the air can cause errors in their

measurements. (From an analysis standpoint, this means that they have “subtracted” the water

from the “denominator” of their mole percent calculations – that’s how the percents of the other

four chemicals add up to 100% still.) Assuming there is zero additional oxygen in the fuel

sources themselves, determine the elemental composition (in mole percent of the various atomic

components) of the fuel.

Please help. I don’t understand how to do atomic balances and I don’t know what to do with the H atoms and water.

"Get 15% discount on your first 3 orders with us"
Use the following coupon
FIRST15

Order Now