Limiting Reactant Calculation in Chemical Reaction
Understanding Limiting Reactant in Chemical Reaction
25 ml of 0.100m HNO3 is reacted with 45ml of 0.200m Ca(OH)2, what is the limiting reactant?
Final answer: To find the limiting reactant, we calculate the moles of nitric acid and calcium hydroxide that react. Given their quantities, there's less than twice the moles of nitric acid compared to calcium hydroxide present, and considering the balanced chemical equation requires two moles of nitric acid for every one mole of calcium hydroxide, nitric acid is therefore determined to be the limiting reactant because it will be the first to be completely used up.
Explanation: In order to determine the limiting reactant in this chemical reaction, we must first recognize how many moles of nitric acid (HNO3) and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) are being used. For HNO3, you multiply its volume in liters (0.025L) by its molarity (0.100M), resulting in 0.0025 moles. You do the same for Ca(OH)2: 0.045L * 0.200M = 0.009 moles. Considering the balanced chemical equation, HNO3 + Ca(OH)2 -> Ca(NO3)2 + H2O, two moles of HNO3 react with one mole of Ca(OH)2. Therefore, you need twice as many moles of HNO3 to fully react with Ca(OH)2. However, there's less than twice the moles of HNO3 present (0.0025 compared to 0.009). So HNO3 is the limiting reactant because it will be completely consumed first.
What is the method to determine the limiting reactant in a chemical reaction? The method to determine the limiting reactant in a chemical reaction involves calculating the moles of each reactant present, comparing the ratios of moles based on the balanced chemical equation, and identifying which reactant will be completely consumed first based on the ratio of moles.