Limiting Reagent Notes (1.3 pg.

20-22)

 First of all REAGENT = REACTANT (they are synonyms)

 Lets say you are making a ham and cheese sandwich. You have 10 pieces of cheese, 10 pieces of bread
and 10 pieces of ham.
o How many sandwiches can you make?
o Will there be anything left over?
o https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/reactants-products-and-leftovers/latest/reactants-products-
and-leftovers_en.html

2 bread + 3 slices ham + 1 cheese  1 sandwich

 You can see that you have enough bread to make 5 sandwiches
1sandwich
10bread   5sandwiches
2bread
 You have enough cheese to make 10 sandwiches
1sandwich
10cheese   10 sandwiches
1cheese
 You have enough ham to make 3 sandwiches
1sandwich
10ham   3sandwiches
3bread

 Ham is the limiting reagent. It limits the number of sandwiches that can be made to 3.
 How did we identify the limiting reagent?
1. Take the number in the problem and divide by the coefficient from the balanced reaction
2. The smallest ratio gives the limiting reactant

Example1 : Mole – Mole

N2 + 3 H2 2 NH3
Given:
2 mole of N2
7 mol of H2

Which is the limiting reactant?

N2 is the limiting reactant because it has the lowest ratio

 Example 2 : Mass-Mass
N2 + 3 H2  2 NH3
Given:
56.04 g of N2
10.1 g of H2

Which is the limiting reactant?

1. Find the number of moles
a. N2
56.04 g N 2
 2mol N 2
28.02 g/mol
b. H2
10.1 g H 2
 4.7 mol H 2
2.02 g/mol
2. Calculate ratio

2mol N 2
2
1mol N 2
4.7 mol H 2
 1.6
3mol H 2
3. The limiting reactant is Hydrogen because it has the smallest ratio

Sometimes it will be necessary to calculate how much excess reactant you will have. Here are the steps.
1. Identify the limiting reagent
2. Using the limiting reactant, calculate the amount of excess reagent used
3. Subtract the amount used from the amount given
 Example 3 : Find the amount of excess N2
1. Copper metal may be produced by the reaction of copper(I) oxide and copper(I) sulfide
according to the below equation. N2 + 3 H2  2 NH3
Given:
56.04 g of N2 2Cu2O + Cu2S  6Cu + SO2
10.1 g of H2
A mixture of 10.0 kg of copper(I) oxide and 5.00 kg of copper(I) sulfide was heated until
1. Which
no further is occurred.
reaction the limiting reactant? (See example 2)
H2 is the limiting reactant because it has the lowest ratio
(a) Determine
N2 is the the limiting
excess reagent in this reaction, showing your working. (LR
reactant
31.41mol Cu2S vs 34.94 mol Cu2O)
2. Use the limiting reactant to get amount of N2 used
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Method 1 (using H2)
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10 .1 g H 2 1 mol N 2 28 . 02 g N 2
× × =46 . 7 g N2
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2. 02 g/mol 3 mol H 2 1 mol N 2
56 .04−46 .7=9 . 34 g N2 is in excess
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(b) Calculate the maximum mass of copper that could be obtained from these masses
of reactants. (ANS 12.0 kg Cu)

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(Total 5 marks)
2. The reaction below represents the reduction of iron ore to produce iron.

2Fe2O3 + 3C  4Fe + 3CO2

A mixture of 30 kg of Fe2O3 and 5.0 kg of C was heated until no further reaction

occurred.
Calculate the maximum mass of iron that can be obtained from these masses of reactants.
(ANS 21.0 kg Fe from Fe2O3 vs 31.0kg Fe from C) - Find limiting reagent when
mass information of more than one reactant is given.

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(Total 5 marks)

3. 0.502 g of an alkali metal sulfate is dissolved in water and excess barium chloride
solution, BaCl2(aq) is added to precipitate all the sulfate ions as barium sulfate,
BaSO4(s). The precipitate is filtered and dried and weighs 0.672 g.

(a) Calculate the amount (in mol) of barium sulfate formed.

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(b) Determine the amount (in mol) of the alkali metal sulfate present.
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(c) Determine the molar mass of the alkali metal sulfate and state its units.

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(d) Deduce the identity of the alkali metal, showing your workings.

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(e) Write an equation for the precipitation reaction, including state symbols.

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(Total 9 marks)

4. 0.600 mol of aluminium hydroxide is mixed with 0.600 mol of sulfuric acid, and the
following reaction occurs:

2Al(OH)3(s) + 3H2SO4(aq) → Al2(SO4)3(aq) + 6H2O(l)

(a) Determine the limiting reactant.

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(b) Calculate the mass of Al2(SO4)3 produced.

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(c) Determine the amount (in mol) of excess reactant that remains.

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