Methane (CH4) is the major component of natural gas. 40.0 grams of methane were placed in a commercial calorimeter and subjected to a combustion reaction. The reaction released 2800 kJ of energy. 1. Compare this energy value to the energy values of paraffin and isopropanol. Is methane a good choice as a fuel?

Based on comparison of energy produced per kilogram, a given mass of methane produces more energy than similar masses of either paraffin or isopropanol, therefore;

Methane is a good choice as a fuel

The reason for the above comparison conclusion is as follows;

The given information;

The details of the combustion of the methane gas, CH₄, are as follows;

The mass of the methane gas placed in the calorimeter, m = 40.0 g

The amount of heat released from the combustion of the 40.0 grams of methane = 2,800 kJ

The data from online resources of paraffin  and isopropanol includes

1. The energy value of paraffin = 46 MJ/kg

The energy value of isopropanol = 33.6 MJ/kg

The energy produced from 1 kilogram of methane gas is given as follows;

40.0 g of methane gas produces 2,800 kJ of energy, therefore;

1 kg = 1,000 g of methane gas will produce, 2,800kJ/(40.0 g) × 1,000 g = 70,000,000 J

∴ 1 kg of methane produces 70,000,000 J = 70 MJ of energy

Therefore, energy produced from methane = 70 MJ/kg

Given that methane produces more than twice the amount of energy that

is produced from similar mass of isopropanol and more than one and half

times the amount of energy that is produced from the same mass of

paraffin, methane is a good choice as a fuel for energy

Learn more about the calorific value of fuels here:

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