Directions for Dream Car Stoichiometry Project
The purpose of this project is to calculate the environmental impact of your dream car
compared to any other car … the other car could be the car you drive now, or the car your
parents drive, or a car you would think would be environmentally friendly – there are many
different cars to choose from on the front table – you may choose one of these or pick one
of your own.
1st – choose your dream car and print a picture off the Internet. If you insert a photo of
yourself into the drivers seat you can earn extra credit points!
2nd – find the miles per gallon your car gets on the highway and record it here
3rd – Assume you drive 15, 000 miles in one year.
4th – Calculate the amount of CO2 your dream car produces following the steps below.
Here is the equation for the combustion of octane
C8H18 +
O2 
CO2 +
H2 O
Balance the equation
Calculate how many gallons of gas your car uses in one year (divide 15,000 by the
miles per gallon for highway driving)
 Convert gallons to mL. (1 gallon = 3785.4 mL)
 Look up the density of octane and use it to calculate the mass of octane you would
use in one year. Look – here it is …(0.703 g/mL = the density of octane)
 Follow your stoich roadmap to calculate liters of CO2 from grams of octane and then
calculate how many 2 liters bottles would be needed to contain all the CO2 your
dream car produces. (this is a grams to liters stoich problem)
 SHOW ALL YOUR CALCULATIONS!!!!
th
5 – Repeat all the calculations for one other car
6th – Prepare a poster including photos of both your cars, an optional picture of yourself,
and all your calculations for both cars.
7th - Finally, write a thoughtful explanation describing why you would want to know how
much CO2 your dream car produces.
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