Upon heating, baking soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate) decomposes according to the equation:
`2NaHCO_(3)(s) to Na_(2)CO_(3)(s) + H_(2)O(l) + CO_(2)(g)`
In an experiment, 8.4 g baking soda decomposes and carbon dioxide gas is collected.
How many moles of `CO_(2)` are produced?

Explanation

To solve the problem of how many moles of carbon dioxide (CO₂) are produced from the decomposition of 8.4 g of baking soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate, NaHCO₃), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Write the balanced chemical equation
The decomposition of baking soda can be represented by the following balanced equation:
\[ 2 \text{NaHCO}_3 (s) \rightarrow \text{Na}_2\text{CO}_3 (s) + \text{H}_2\text{O} (l) + \text{CO}_2 (g) \]

### Step 2: Determine the molar mass of NaHCO₃
To find out how many moles of baking soda we have, we need to calculate its molar mass:
- Sodium (Na): 23 g/mol
- Hydrogen (H): 1 g/mol
- Carbon (C): 12 g/mol
- Oxygen (O): 16 g/mol (3 oxygen atoms)

Calculating the molar mass:
\[ \text{Molar mass of NaHCO}_3 = 23 + 1 + 12 + (16 \times 3) = 23 + 1 + 12 + 48 = 84 \text{ g/mol} \]

### Step 3: Calculate the number of moles of NaHCO₃
Using the formula:
\[ \text{Number of moles} = \frac{\text{mass}}{\text{molar mass}} \]
We can find the number of moles of baking soda:
\[ \text{Number of moles of NaHCO}_3 = \frac{8.4 \text{ g}}{84 \text{ g/mol}} = 0.1 \text{ moles} \]

### Step 4: Use stoichiometry to find moles of CO₂ produced
From the balanced equation, we see that 2 moles of NaHCO₃ produce 1 mole of CO₂. Therefore, the ratio is:
\[ \frac{1 \text{ mole CO}_2}{2 \text{ moles NaHCO}_3} \]
Thus, the number of moles of CO₂ produced from 0.1 moles of NaHCO₃ is:
\[ \text{Moles of CO}_2 = 0.1 \text{ moles NaHCO}_3 \times \frac{1 \text{ mole CO}_2}{2 \text{ moles NaHCO}_3} = 0.05 \text{ moles CO}_2 \]

### Final Answer
The number of moles of carbon dioxide (CO₂) produced is **0.05 moles**.

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