Saint Louis University

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

Department of Chemical Engineering

MODULE 4: CHEMICAL REACTIONS INVOLVING LIMITING AND EXCESS

REACTANTS, YIELD AND CONVERSION

Topic Learning Outcomes: At the end of this module, each student should be able to:
TLO5: Solve for the quantities of the products in a reaction using the limiting or excess
reactant; percentage yield, conversion and completion of a reaction

The occurrence of a chemical reaction in a process brings several complications

into the material balance procedures. The stoichiometric equation of the reaction imposes
constraints on the relative amounts of reactants and products in the input and output
streams (if A B, for example, you cannot start with 1 mole of pure A and end with 2 mole
of B). In addition, a material balance on a reactive substance does not have the simple
form input=output, but must include a generation and/or consumption.

STOICHIOMETRY

Stoichiometry is the theory of the proportions in which chemical species combine

with one another. The stoichiometry equation of a chemical reaction is a statement of the
relative number of molecules or moles of reactants and products that participate in the
reaction.

A valid stoichiometric equation must be balanced; that is the number of atoms of

each atomic species must be the same on both sides of equation, since atoms can neither
be created nor destroyed in chemical reactions.

Sample Problems:

1. Sulphur trioxide gas is obtained by the combustion of iron pyrites (FeS 2) according to
the following reaction:
FeS2 + O2 → Fe2O3 + SO3
a) How many kilograms of pyrites are burned to obtain 100 kg of sulphur trioxide
b) How many kilograms of oxygen are consumed in the production of 50 kg of SO3?
(MW: Fe=55.85)

SOLUTION:
Write the balanced chemical reaction.
4 FeS2 + 15 O2 → 2 Fe2O3 + 8 SO3

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ENGR. MYLENE M. OCASION
 Saint Louis University
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
Department of Chemical Engineering

a) Kg of pyrites burned to obtain 100 kg of sulphur trioxide

b) kilograms of oxygen consumed in the production of 50 kg and SO3?

2. What amount of CO2 (in kg) will be produced from the complete combustion of 10
kg of heptane?
SOLUTION:
C7H16 + 11 O2 → 7 CO2 + 8 H2O
10 kg

3. What volume does a mixture of 7.0g N2 and 8.5g NH3 occupy at 27 C and 730
mmHg? What is the partial pressure of N2 in the system?
SOLUTION:

( ) ( ⁄ ) ( )

Using Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressure:

→ →

4. Given: AgNO3 + NaCl → AgCl + NaNO3

a) How many grams of silver nitrate will be required to react with 5 grams of
sodium chloride?
b) How many grams of sodium chloride have been added to silver nitrate if
5.00 grams of silver chloride are precipitated? MW: Ag = 107.86

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ENGR. MYLENE M. OCASION
 Saint Louis University
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
Department of Chemical Engineering

SOLUTION:

a) Grams of silver nitrate required to react with 5 grams of sodium chloride

b) Grams of sodium chloride added to silver nitrate if 5.00 grams of silver chloride
are precipitated

ACTIVITY 1:

1. Iron reacts with steam according to the following reaction:

Fe + H2O → Fe3O4 + H2

a) How many kilograms of iron and steam are required to produce 100 kg of
hydrogen?
b) What volume (m3) will the hydrogen occupy at standard conditions?

2. A limestone analyzes
CaCO3 92.89 lb
MgCO3 5.41 lb
Insoluble 1.70 lb

a) How many grounds of calcium oxide can be made from 5 tons of this limestone?
b) How many pounds of CO2 can be recovered per pound of limestone?
c) How many pounds of limestone are needed to make 1 ton of lime?

Limiting and Excess Reactants, Yield and Selectivity

LIMITING REACTANT
- is the reactant which is present in the smallest stoichiometric amount.

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ENGR. MYLENE M. OCASION
 Saint Louis University
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
Department of Chemical Engineering

EXCESS REACTANT
- is the reactant that is present in excess of the limiting reactant

PERCENT CONVERSION
- is the percentage of the amount of any reactant converted into products

COMPLETION
- Fraction of the limiting reactant that is converted to products

YIELD

Sample Problems:

1. The burning of limestone, CaCO3 → CaO + CO2, goes only 70% to completion in a
certain kiln.
a) What is the composition (mass %) of the solid withdrawn from the kiln?
b) How many kilograms of CO2 are produced per kilogram of limestone fed?
Assume one kg of CACO3 and that limestone is pure CaCO3

SOLUTION:
a) Composition (mass %) of the solid withdrawn from the kiln

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ENGR. MYLENE M. OCASION
 Saint Louis University
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
Department of Chemical Engineering

CO2
70% completion
CaO
CaCO3 KILN
0.3 kg CaCO3
1 kg
70% completion means only 70% of CaCO3 is converted to products (CaO & CO2).

COMPOSITION:
Component Mass, kg Mass %

CaO 0.392 kg 56.6474%

CaCO3 0.3 kg 43.3526 %

b) Kilograms of CO2 produced per kilogram of limestone fed

2. Iron is prepared in the blast furnace by reacting Hematile (Fe3O4) with carbon
monoxide (CO)

Fe3O4 + CO → Fe + CO2

Calculate:

a) Limiting reactant when 2.00 x 103 kg Fe3O4 and 42.4 x 103 ft3 CO at STP are brought
together in a blast furnace
b) Kg of each product formed
c) Amount of x’s reactant unreacted
d) Volume (L) of CO2 formed at 25 C and 1 atm

SOLUTION:

Fe3O4 + 4 CO → 3 Fe + 4 CO2

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ENGR. MYLENE M. OCASION
 Saint Louis University
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
Department of Chemical Engineering

a) Limiting reactant when 2.00 x 103 kg Fe3O4 and 42.4 x 103 ft3 CO at STP are brought
together in a blast furnace

( )

( ) ( )

Mole Ratio (MR)

Fe3O4: CO:

Therefore: Fe3O4 is the limiting reactant

b) Kg of each product formed

c) Amount of x’s reactant unreacted

d) Volume (L) of CO2 formed at 25 C and 1 atm

( )( ⁄ )( )

3. An older method for preparing the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT) is the reaction of
Dinitrotoluene (C7H6N2O4) with nitric acid (HNO3)

C7H6N2O4 + HNO3 → C7H5N3O6 + H2O

After 500 kg of Dinitrotoluene and 300 kg of Nitric acid are mixed in an industrial reactor
and the mixture heated for several hours, 530 kg of pure TNT are obtained.

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ENGR. MYLENE M. OCASION
 Saint Louis University
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
Department of Chemical Engineering

a) What is the % yield for this process?

b) % completion of reaction
c) % conversion of DNT and HNO3

SOLUTION:

C7H6N2O4 + HNO3 → C7H5N3O6 + H2O

500 kg 300 kg 530 kg
a) % yield for this process

Determine first LR and X’s reactant.

Mole Ratio (MR)

DNT: HNO3:

Therefore: LR is DNT and X’s reactant is HNO3

b) % completion of reaction

c) % conversion of DNT and HNO3

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ENGR. MYLENE M. OCASION
 Saint Louis University
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
Department of Chemical Engineering

ACTIVITY 2:

1. Antimony is obtained by reacting pulverized Stibnite (Sb2S3) with scrap iron and drawing
off the molten Antimony from the bottom of the reaction vessel.

Sb2S3 + 3Fe → 2Sb + 3FeS

Suppose that 0.60kg of stibnite and 0.25kg of scrap are heated together to give 0.20kg
of the Sb metal. Calculate:

a) Limiting reactant
b) % excess reactant
c) Degree of completion
d) % conversion of Sb2S3 to Sb
e) Yield of Sb

2. Given the equation: KMnO4 + KCl + H2SO4 → MnSO4 + K2SO4 + H2O + Cl2

Determine a) Limiting Reactant if 50 grams of KMnO4, 100 grams of KCl and 75 grams of
H2SO4 are given b) Theoretical amount of MnSO4 and c) percent excess reactant.
MW: K= 39.10, Mn = 54.94, Cl = 35.45, S = 32, Fe = 55.85

3. A common method used in manufacturing sodium hypochlorite bleach is by the

reaction

Cl2 + NaOH → NaCl + NaOCl + H2O

Chlorine gas is bubbled through an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, after which
the desired product is separated from the sodium chloride (a by-product of the
reaction). A water-NaOH solution that contains 1145 lb of pure NaOH is reacted with
851 lb of gaseous chlorine. The NaOCl formed weights 618 lb.

a) What was the limiting reactant?

b) What was the percentage excess of the excess reactant used?
c) What is the degree of completion of the reaction, expressed as the moles of NaOCl
formed to the moles of NaOCl that would have formed if the reaction had gone to
completion?

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ENGR. MYLENE M. OCASION
 Saint Louis University
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
Department of Chemical Engineering

d) What is the % yield of NaOCl per amount of chlorine used (on a weight basis)?

Multiple Reactions

In most chemical processes, reactants are brought together with the object of
producing a desired product in a chemical reaction. Unfortunately, reactants can usually
combine in more than one way, and the product may react to yield something less
desirable. The result of these side reactions is an economic loss: less of the desired product
is obtained for a given quantity of raw materials or greater of raw materials must be fed to
the reactor to obtain a specified product yield.

Sample Problems:

1. A mixture of NaHCO3 and Na2CO3 weighs 1.0234 grams. The dissolved mixture was
made to react with excess Ba(OH)2 to form 2.1028 grams BaCO3. What was the
percentage of NaHCO3 in the original mix?

Reactions:

Na2CO3 + Ba(OH)2 → BaCO3 + NaOH

NaHCO3 + Ba(OH)2 → BaCO3 + NaOH + H2O

SOLUTION:

Let X = Na2CO3 Therefore, NaHCO3 = 1.0234 – X

( )

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ENGR. MYLENE M. OCASION
 Saint Louis University
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
Department of Chemical Engineering

2. Suppose that 1.5 mole of CH4 and 2 moles of O2 are burned. The resultant products
include:
0.60 mole CO2
0.40 mole CO

How many moles of CH4, O2 and H2O are in the products?

Reactions:

CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O

CH4 + O2 → CO + 2H2O

SOLUTION:

CH4 FURNACE CO2 = 0.6 mole

1.5 mole CO = 0.4 mole
H2O = X
O2 = Y
O2
CH4 = Z
2 mole

CH4 balance:

O2 balance:

3. Formaldehyde is manufactured by catalytic oxidation of methanol using excess air:

CH3 OH + O2 → CH2O + 2H2O

A secondary, undesirable reaction occurs if conditions are not properly controlled. The
formaldehyde reacts with oxygen to form formic acid.

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ENGR. MYLENE M. OCASION
 Saint Louis University
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
Department of Chemical Engineering

CH2 O + O2 → HCOOH

The product gases from a reactor test run have the following composition:

Component Mole %

CH3OH 8.6

CH2O 3.1

HCOOH 0.6

H2O 3.7

O2 16.0

N2 68.0

Find: a) % conversion of methanol to formaldehyde

b) % methanol lost in the secondary reaction
c) Molar ratio of air to methanol
d) % excess air
SOLUTION:

8.6 mole CH3OH (unreacted)

CH3OH REACTOR
3.1 mole CH2O
0.6 mole HCOOH
3.7 mole H2O
Air 16 mole O2
68 mole N2

a) % conversion of methanol to formaldehyde

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ENGR. MYLENE M. OCASION
 Saint Louis University
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
Department of Chemical Engineering

b) % methanol lost in the secondary reaction

c) Molar ratio of air to methanol

d) % excess air

ACTIVITY 3:

1. One can view the blast furnace from a simple viewpoint as a process in which the
principal reaction is

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ENGR. MYLENE M. OCASION
 Saint Louis University
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
Department of Chemical Engineering

Fe2O3 + C → Fe + CO

But some other undesirable side reactions occur, mainly

Fe2O3 + C → FeO + CO

After mixing 600 lb of carbon (coke) with 1.00 ton of pure iron oxide, Fe 2O3, the process
produces 1200 lb of pure iron, 183 lb of FeO and 85 lb of Fe2O3. Calculate the following
items:

a) The percentage excess carbon furnished, based on the principal reaction

b) The percentage conversion of Fe2O3 to Fe
c) The pounds of carbon used up and the pounds of CO produced per ton of Fe 2O3
charged
d) What is the selectivity in this process (of Fe with respect to FeO)?

2. Given the equation:

K2Cr2O7 + KI + H2SO4 → Cr2(SO4)3 + K2SO4 + I2 + H2O

Calculate

a) The kg of potassium dichromate that will react with 50 kg of potassium iodide

b) The kg of iodine that will be produced from 150 kg of potassium iodide

3. Given:

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ENGR. MYLENE M. OCASION
 Saint Louis University
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
Department of Chemical Engineering

Conditions:

The reaction which takes place in the reactor is C6H6 + HNO3 → C6H5NO2 + H2O
The conversion of Benzene is only 97% complete

Required:

a) Which is the limiting reactant

b) % excess reactant
c) lbs of pure nitrobenzene produced
d) % weight composition of resulting mixture
e) % completion of reaction

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