Each 5-ml teaspoon of Extra Strength Maalox Plus contains 450 mg of magnesium hydroxide and 500 mg of aluminum hydroxide. How many moles of hydronium ions H3O are neutralized by 1 teaspoon of antacid product?

0.0347 moles of hydronium ions

Explanation:

The equation of the neutralization reaction between hydroxide and hydronium ions is given below:

H₃O+ (aq) + OH- (aq) > 2 H₂O (l)

From the equation above, 1 mole of hydroxide ions will neutralize one mole hydronium ions.

The moles of hydroxide ions present in 1 teaspoon or 5 mL of antacid product is calculated as follows:

Number of moles = mass / molar mass

Molar mass of Magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)₂ = 58 g/mol

Molar mass of aluminium hydroxide, Al(OH)₃ = 78 g/mol

Mass of magnesium hydroxide = 450 g = 0.45 g

Mass of aluminium hydroxide = 500 mg = 0.5 g

Moles of magnesium hydroxide = (0.45/58) moles

Moles of aluminium hydroxide = (0.5/78) moles

Equation of the ionization of magnesium hydroxide and aluminium hydroxide is given below:

Mg(OH)₂ (aq) > Mg²+ (aq) + 2 OH- (aq)

Al(OH)₃ (aq) ---> Al³+ (aq) + 3 OH- (aq)

Number of moles of hydroxide ions present in (0.45/58) moles of magnesium hydroxide = 2 × (0.45/58) moles = 0.0155 moles

Number of moles of hydroxide ions present in (0.5/78) moles of aluminium hydroxide = 3 × (0.5/78) moles = 0.0192 moles

Total moles of hydroxide ions = 0.0155 + 0.0192 = 0.0347 moles hydroxide ions

Therefore, 0.0347 moles of hydroxide ions will neutralize 0.0347 moles of hydronium ions.

answers: to make sure that all of the broken pieces of tablet were added to the water, to allow for fair comparison of all three trials, with different particle sizes to avoid experimental error