Unit 5 / Stoichiometry

Limiting Reactants

Having made it this far, you are now ready for advanced (real world)
stoichiometry. In the real world, chemical reactions continue until the supply of
one of the reactants is completely consumed. The reactant which is used up first
is called the limiting reactant (LR). The other reactant is called the excess
reactant (ER) because some of it will be left over.

Analogy: If you had 3 slices of bologna and 12 slices of bread, how many
bologna sandwiches could you make?

Recipe: 1 slice bologna + 2 slices bread  1 bologna sandwich

Bo(s) + 2Br(s)  BoBr2(s)

Some Pointers concerning Limiting Reactant Problems

1. As always, start with a balanced reaction equation.

2. If you use a “HNUE” Table (Have-Need-Used-Excess), all values must be in

moles.

3. You will be given quantitative information about two reactants and asked to
determine one or more of the following:
(a) how much (g) of a given product is produced
(b) which reactant is limiting and/or which reactant is in excess
(c) how much (g) of the excess reactant remains when the reaction is complete

4. Strategies for answering (a) – (c):

(a) Solve 2 stoichiometry equations: 1. reactant A / product, and
2. reactant B / product
Whichever product “amount” (answer) is less is the amount of product
produced.
(b) The reactant producing less product (see (a)) is limiting. When this amount
of product has been produced, the reaction stops. Why?
(c) This is a two-step solution:
Determine which reactant is in excess (see (a) and (b) above). Then,
1. Set up a stoichiometry equation comparing both reactants (to each
other): “If x grams of the limiting reactant (“A”) reacts, how much (g) of
the other (excess) reactant (“B”) is required”.
2. Subtract the “excess reactant amount required” from the amount of
that (excess) reactant given in the problem. This difference will be the
amount of excess reactant remaining when the reaction stops.

Chemistry Raleigh Charter High School Dr. Genez

Practice Problems:
1. How many grams of iron (II) sulfide can be produced when 10.0 g of iron and
10.0 g of sulfur are heated together? Which is the limiting reactant? Which
is the excess reactant? How much of the excess reactant will be left over?

2. What is the maximum amount of water which can be produced when 20.0 g
of hydrogen is reacted with 30.0 g of oxygen? Which is the limiting reactant?
Which is the excess reactant? How much of the excess reactant will be left
over?

3. How many molecules of hydrogen gas will have been produced when the
reaction runs out between 4.32 g of aluminum metal and 17.65 g of
hydrochloric acid? How much of the excess reactant will remain unreacted?

4. How many grams of silver sulfide can be formed when 22.9 g of Ag is

allowed to react with 6.50 g of S? How much of the excess reactant will
remain unreacted?

Chemistry Raleigh Charter High School Dr. Genez