answer the following questions. 7. a chemist heated a sample of steel wool in a burner flame exposed to…

answer the following questions. 7. a chemist heated a sample of steel wool in a burner flame exposed to oxygen in the air. he also heated a sample of steel wool in a container of nearly 100% oxygen. the steel - wool sample in the container reacted faster than the other sample. explain why. 8. would the chemist have observed the same results if he used a block of steel instead of steel wool? explain your answer. 9. how would the reaction have differed if the steel wool was not heated?

answer the following questions. 7. a chemist heated a sample of steel wool in a burner flame exposed to oxygen in the air. he also heated a sample of steel wool in a container of nearly 100% oxygen. the steel - wool sample in the container reacted faster than the other sample. explain why. 8. would the chemist have observed the same results if he used a block of steel instead of steel wool? explain your answer. 9. how would the reaction have differed if the steel wool was not heated?

Answer

Brief Explanations:

Question 7:

The reaction rate depends on reactant concentration. In the container with nearly 100% oxygen, the oxygen - concentration is higher than in air. Higher reactant concentration leads to more frequent collisions between steel - wool and oxygen molecules, thus a faster reaction.

Question 8:

No. Steel wool has a larger surface area than a steel block. A larger surface area allows for more contact with oxygen, increasing the reaction rate. A steel block has less surface area exposed to oxygen, so the reaction would be slower even in high - oxygen conditions.

Question 9:

Heating provides activation energy for the reaction. Without heating, the reaction would proceed very slowly or not at all. The steel - wool and oxygen would have fewer energetic collisions, and the reaction rate would be much lower due to insufficient energy to overcome the activation energy barrier.

Answer:

  1. The steel - wool in the 100% oxygen container reacted faster because of higher oxygen concentration, which increases collision frequency between reactants.
  2. No. Steel wool has a larger surface area for reaction with oxygen compared to a steel block.
  3. The reaction would proceed very slowly or not at all without heating as there would be insufficient activation energy for effective collisions.