The Intergalactic Federation Sent You To Planet Fies

The Intergalactic Federation Has Sent You To The Planet Fieso On A Dip

The Intergalactic Federation has sent you to the planet Fieso on a diplomatic recon mission. The planet is currently embattled in a cold war between two continents. With both continents vying for your support, you must find a way to diplomatically acquire a bi-weekly transport of “Bubbly fizzy juice” aka Carbonic Acid. The completed trade deal should provide 1649 citizens of space station 1678 aka “planet of exam flunkers” with Carbonic acid for 690 24-hour cycles. You are assuming that each citizen will use their full ration of 0.039 grams of “bubbly fizzy juice” during each of their 2.5 allotted meals each cycle.

Please note that without the “bubbly fizzy” these citizens will “just die”, and while the universe might notice a GPA improvement, certain parents might withdraw their monetary contributions to the Federation exploratory program. The supply transport ship has an onboard laboratory with equipment equivalent to Panola College (including unlimited distilled water). Also, each continent is willing to trade the following reagents every two weeks, but you cannot select both reagents from one continent (unless you want to start a war):

• Continent 1: 26.8 kg of Sodium Hydroxide, 24.7 kg of Potassium Thiocyanate, 30.2 kg of Sulfuric Acid, 28.7 kg of Hydrochloric Acid
• Continent 2: 32.4 kg of Sodium Sulfate, 20.7 kg of Potassium Carbonate, 29.5 kg of Sodium Carbonate, 36.8 kg of Barium Chloride

Fully describe the procedure you will use to satisfy the space station and keep the coffers flowing. Your college-level explanation (~2 double-spaced pages) should include: a brief description of the chemical lecture material relevant to this issue, a brief procedure (detailing how you will use chemistry to yield carbonic acid), a balanced chemical equation using the selected reactants, and dimensional analysis yielding the following answers (Stoichiometry aka mole-mole fractions will help). Place all stoichiometry in 2 x n tables (2 rows x amount of conversion factors needed).

• a. How much carbonic acid will you need to make?
• b. How many trades must you complete with each continent (2 numbers)?
• c. How long will it take you to get back to “civilization” (complete this mission)?

Paper For Above instruction

The chemical basis of producing carbonic acid (H2CO3) relies fundamentally on understanding acid-base reactions, equilibria, and stoichiometry. Carbonic acid forms primarily through the reaction of carbon dioxide (CO2) with water (H2O). In industrial and laboratory settings, CO2 can be obtained from the combustion or reaction of suitable reactants, and when dissolved in water, it creates carbonic acid. Recognizing the importance of this acid in biological systems and its potential for industrial applications guides the procedure for its synthesis on the planet Fieso, where resource scarcity and diplomatic constraints pose unique challenges.

The key to generating sufficient carbonic acid lies in selecting appropriate reactants from either continent, with the goal of producing CO2 efficiently. Given the available reagents, sulfuric acid (H2SO4) from Continent 1 can be exploited to generate CO2 via thermal decomposition or acid reactions with carbonate salts. For example, reacting sulfuric acid with sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) from Continent 2 produces CO2 and sodium sulfate. The reaction is as follows:

Balanced Chemical Equation:

H2SO4 + Na2CO3 → Na2SO4 + CO2 + H2O

This reaction is ideal because it converts sulfuric acid into CO2 efficiently and produces water as a byproduct, which can be used as solvent or in other reactions. The produced CO2 dissolves in water to produce carbonic acid:

CO2 + H2O ⇌ H2CO3

The procedure involves: first, sourcing sulfuric acid from Continent 1 and sodium carbonate from Continent 2; next, reacting these to generate CO2; then, capturing the CO2 and dissolving it in distilled water aboard the supply ship. The process includes controlled reaction conditions to maximize conversion efficiency while avoiding side reactions that might produce unwanted byproducts.

To determine how much carbonic acid is needed, we calculate total consumption based on population and daily usage. Each of the 1649 citizens consumes 0.039 grams of bubbly fizzy juice per meal, with 2.5 meals per cycle, over 690 cycles:

Total grams of bubbly fizzy juice = 1649 citizens × 0.039 g × 2.5 meals × 690 cycles = 1649 × 0.039 × 2.5 × 690 ≈ 110,125.71 grams.

Convert grams to moles, assuming the molar mass of the fizzy juice (primarily carbonic acid) approximates 62 g/mol:

Moles of carbonic acid needed = 110,125.71 g / 62 g/mol ≈ 1774.6 mol.

Next, utilizing the stoichiometry of the reaction, for every mole of sulfuric acid reacted, one mole of CO2 is produced, which in turn yields one mole of carbonic acid upon dissolution. This informs the calculation of how many trade units are needed from each continent. Assuming strict stoichiometric ratios, trading sufficient sulfuric acid from Continent 1 and sodium carbonate from Continent 2 will meet the required moles:

Trade calculations involve:

Reagent	Trade quantity (kg)
Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4)	To produce 1774.6 mol, mass = 1774.6 mol × 98.08 g/mol ≈ 174,131 g ≈ 174.13 kg
Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3)	Similarly, to match molar amounts, 1774.6 mol × 105.99 g/mol ≈ 188,Webhostbe546.9 g ≈ 188.55 kg

Number of trades needed: For sulfuric acid, trade approximately 174.13 kg from Continent 1; for sodium carbonate, trade approximately 188.55 kg from Continent 2. Given the available trade quantities (e.g., 30.2 kg of sulfuric acid per trade from Continent 1; 29.5 kg of sodium carbonate per trade from Continent 2), number of trades:

• Continent 1: 174.13 kg / 30.2 kg ≈ 6 trades
• Continent 2: 188.55 kg / 29.5 kg ≈ 7 trades

Considering the two-week exchange period, total mission duration—including time to acquire required reagents and produce sufficient CO2—depends on these trade cycles. Assuming immediate processing after each trade, total time is approximately:

Total time = maximum number of trades × 2 weeks = 7 trades × 2 weeks = 14 weeks, allowing for extra time for reaction setup. The entire operation, from initial reagent acquisition to carbonic acid production and delivery, is expected to span around 14-16 weeks.

In conclusion, by carefully selecting and trading sulfuric acid from Continent 1 and sodium carbonate from Continent 2, then reacting them to produce CO2, and dissolving the CO2 in water, the mission will successfully generate and deliver the required 1774.6 mol of carbonic acid for the citizens on the space station. This process demonstrates the integration of chemical principles—stoichiometry, reaction equilibrium, and resource management—crucial for intergalactic diplomatic trade and survival.

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