When checking combustion efficiency in a laboratory experiment, which measurement is most directly used to determine if all the carbon in a sample has been converted to carbon dioxide?

• A. The temperature of the reaction
• B. The mass of CO2 produced
• C. The volume of water collected
• D. The color change of the flame

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that combustion efficiency refers to how completely the carbon in a sample is converted to carbon dioxide (CO\_2) during combustion.
2. Recognize that to confirm complete conversion of carbon to CO\_2, you need to measure a quantity directly related to the amount of CO\_2 produced.
3. Consider that the mass of CO\_2 produced is directly proportional to the amount of carbon that has been converted, since each mole of carbon forms one mole of CO\_2.
4. Note that other measurements like temperature, volume of water collected, or flame color are indirect and do not provide a direct quantitative measure of carbon conversion.
5. Therefore, the most direct measurement to determine if all carbon has been converted to CO\_2 is the mass of CO\_2 produced.