Gary-
Gasoline is a hydrocarbon, with slightly more than two hydrogen
atoms for each carbon atom. When it's burned, each hydrogen is
replaced by an oxygen. Oxygen is about 16 times heavier than
hydrogen. So, a hydrocarbon with a molecular weight of about 14 is
replaced by CO2 with a molecular weight of 40. Multiply your
7.5 pounds by 40/14, and that's how may pounds of CO2 result.
(It's not exact, because lots of other stuff is in exhaust,
including carbon monoxide.)
You had about the right idea.
We run on carbohydrates, roadsters run on hydrocarbons.
--Bob Keen
68 1600
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On Tue, 11 Jul 2006, Gary McCormick wrote:
[snip]
> burning 1 gallon of gas puts 19 pounds of CO2 into the air. How can
> that be, when a gallon of gas weighs about 7.5 pounds? Unless the
> amount of air which is required to burn that gallon of gasoline is
> such that the carbon and oxygen amounts add up (I don't know - it's
> been a long time since Chem 1a!) I don't see how that is going to work.
[snip]
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