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Notes - Ch7.2

This document provides instructions for determining the limiting and excess reactants in a chemical reaction. It explains that the reaction will stop when one reactant is used up, which is the limiting reactant, while the other reactant is left over in excess. It outlines two strategies for determining the limiting reactant: 1) calculating how much product can be formed from each reactant and choosing the one that forms the least, and 2) comparing how much of each reactant would be needed to completely react with the other reactants. An example problem is shown determining that copper (II) chloride is the limiting reactant in the reaction of aluminum powder and copper (II) chloride. Practice problems are provided.

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Triet Nguyen
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10 views

Notes - Ch7.2

This document provides instructions for determining the limiting and excess reactants in a chemical reaction. It explains that the reaction will stop when one reactant is used up, which is the limiting reactant, while the other reactant is left over in excess. It outlines two strategies for determining the limiting reactant: 1) calculating how much product can be formed from each reactant and choosing the one that forms the least, and 2) comparing how much of each reactant would be needed to completely react with the other reactants. An example problem is shown determining that copper (II) chloride is the limiting reactant in the reaction of aluminum powder and copper (II) chloride. Practice problems are provided.

Uploaded by

Triet Nguyen
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 7.

2 Limiting and Excess Reactants


For each question there are several steps!
1. Write the balanced chemical equation
2. Determine the number of moles for the substance(s) that are
described by the question using the mass or the number of particles
specified (what is known).
3. Convert this information to the mass, number or particles, or number
of moles, expected for the unknown substance(s) as directed by the
question (what is needed).

The Limiting Reactant


A balanced bicycle equation could be described
as below:
1 finished frame + 2 wheels → 1 bicycle

If the correct proportion of reactants (parts)


are combined, they will produce a predictable Pasted from
<http://images.buzzillions.com/images_products/03/56/mo
amount of product. ngoose_mischief_20_bmx_bicycle_reviews_304351_300.jp
g>

For a chemical reaction, the reactants are said to occur in


STOICHIOMETRIC AMOUNTS if they appear in mole ratio exactly as
predicted by the balanced chemical equation.

Of course, this usually doesn't happen despite the best planning of


chemists and often there are reactants left over!
A reaction will stop when one of the reactants "runs out". This is the
LIMITING REACTANT. The reactant that is "left over" (in excess) and is
called the EXCESS REACTANT. Consider one reactant at a time.
Determine how much product would be produced if all other reactants
were present in excess. Repeat this procedure for each of the reactants.
The limiting reactant will be the reactant that produces the least amount
of product.
Example 20: If 0.25g of aluminum powder reacts with 0.51g of
copper(II) chloride crystals, determine the limiting reactant.

2Al(s) + 3CuCl2(aq) → 3Cu(s) + 2AlCl3(aq)

m 0.25g 0.51g If we chose the other


product to compare to:
n nAl = 0.25g nCuCl2 = 0.51g
26.98g/mol 134.45g/mol For Copper(ll) chloride
= 0.00927mol =0.00379mol nCu = CuCl2 ◦ 2AlCl3
3CuCl2
BCE nCu = nAl ◦ 3Cu nCu = CuCl2 ◦ 3Cu nCu = 0.00379mol◦ 2AlCl3
2Al 3CuCl2 3CuCl2
Ratio
-find nCu = 0.00253mol AlCl3
how much Choose 1 product Choose 1 LIMITING
of one
product nCu that could be made product
can be
made
= 0.00927mol◦ 3Cu nCu that For Aluminum:
2Al could be 2:2 ratio so we will
= 0.013905mol Cu made produce 0.00927mol of
=0.00379mol ◦ 3Cu AlCl3 EXCESS
This much Cu can be 3CuCl2
formed - EXCESS = 0.00379mol Cu Using either product to
do the calculations,
Only this much Cu can
CuCl2 limits this reaction!
be formed - LIMITING
Strategy A: For each reactant, determine how much of 1 product is made
1 Use given mass to find mol
2 Choose ONE product to compare to. For each reactant, determine how
much of that product could be made based on moles of reactant present.
The copper(II) chloride is the limiting reactant.
Note that the balanced chemical equation tells us that 3 moles of
copper(II) chloride are required for every 2 moles of aluminum. Also,
although the mass of copper(II) chloride is greater, this mass does not
represent as many moles as does the amount of aluminum that is
present.
This information can be used to determine the amount of product, or the
yield of the chemical reaction.
The limiting reactant is the copper(II) chloride. When the mole ratio of
product to the limiting reactant is considered, the amount of product can
be deduced by multiplying the predicted number of moles by the mass of
the product.

Mass of Cu = 0.00379mol Cu ◦ 63.55g/mol = 0.241g Cu


Mass of AlCl3 = 0.00253mol AlCl3 ◦ 133.34g/mol = 0.337g AlCl3
The mass of the products will be 0.24g copper and 0.34g aluminum
chloride. No more can be produced because the copper(ll) chloride will
run out!

Strategy B: Compare the amount of each reactant that would be needed


to completely react with the other reactant(s). The one that runs out first
would be the limiting reactant!
Dewitt, Introduction to Limiting Reactant and Excess Reactant, Sep2015 (16:57)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZOVR8EMwRU&t=18s

Practice Problems:
(309) 31, 33, 35, 37
(311) 41, 43, 45, 47, 49
(313) 3, 5, 9

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