In our bodies, sugar is broken down with oxygen to produce water and carbon dioxide. Acaccording to the following reaction, how many moles of glucose parentheses (C6 H12O6) with excess oxygen gas?
The correct answer and explanation is:
To answer your question, we need to understand the chemical reaction by which sugar (glucose, C₆H₁₂O₆) is broken down in the presence of oxygen (O₂) to produce water (H₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). This process is called cellular respiration, and the balanced chemical equation is:
C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O
This equation tells us that:
- 1 mole of glucose reacts with 6 moles of oxygen
- Producing 6 moles of carbon dioxide and 6 moles of water
Now to your question:
How many moles of glucose react with excess oxygen?
If oxygen is in excess, then the limiting reagent is glucose. That means all the glucose will react, and the amount of oxygen does not limit the reaction.
So, if the question is asking:
“How many moles of glucose react in this reaction?”, the answer is:
➡ 1 mole of glucose reacts according to the equation above.
If you are given a number of moles of glucose, for example, 2 moles, then you simply plug it into the ratio. For example:
- 2 moles of C₆H₁₂O₆ would react with 2 × 6 = 12 moles of O₂
- Producing 2 × 6 = 12 moles of CO₂ and 12 moles of H₂O
If the question only asks about how many moles of glucose react with excess oxygen, the correct and direct answer is:
✅ 1 mole of glucose (according to the standard reaction equation)
Summary
This is a 1:6:6:6 mole ratio:
- 1 glucose : 6 oxygen → 6 carbon dioxide + 6 water
Only 1 mole of glucose is needed per cycle of the reaction if oxygen is unlimited.