Limiting Reactants
• Imagine that you work at
LIMITING REACTANTS
Limiting Reactants
• Consider a classic PB&J
sandwich (2 slices of bread
used)
• Ingredients on hand are 4
slices of bread, 1 cup of
peanut butter, and 1/2 cup of
jelly
• What will run out first?
• What will be leftover?
Memphis International Airport
as a ticket reservation clerk for
Southwest Airlines.
• There is a 5pm flight to
Orlando that has 200 seats
available.
• You sell 250 tickets for the
5pm flight.
• What will run out first?
What is a limiting reactant?
• A limiting reactant (or
limiting reagent) is a reactant
in a chemical reaction that is
completely consumed or is
just enough.
• Limiting reactants dictate the
amount of product that will be
formed in a chemical reaction.
• Once the limiting reactant is
completely consumed, the
reaction comes to a stop.
 How do you determine which Example Using Apples to
reactant is the limiting reactant? Apples
• There are 3 methods that you
can utilize to determine which
reactant is limiting.
• 4NH3 + 5O2 → 6H2O + 4NO
• 1. Apples to Apples
• If 4 moles of NH3 react with 20
• 2. Tic-tac-toe
moles of O2, which reactant is
the limiting reactant?
• 3. Monopoly

• Each method has pros and

cons.

Scratch Work for Apples to Pros/Cons of Apples for

Apples Apples
• Pros

• 1. Quick

• 2. Very little math

• Cons

• 1. Only works when given

amounts are in moles.

• 2. Does provide information

about the amount of product
formed.

• 3. Only works for 2 reactants

 Example Using Tic Tac Toe Scratch Work for Tic Tac Toe

• 4NH3 + 5O2 → 6H2O + 4NO

• If 4 moles of NH3 react with 20

moles of O2, which reactant is
the limiting reactant?

Pros/Cons of Tic Tac Toe Example Using Monopoly

• Pros

• 1. Quick

• 2. Very little math

• Cons
• 4NH3 + 5O2 → 6H2O + 4NO

• 1. Math is not really stoichiometric • If 4 moles of NH3 react with 20

moles of O2, which reactant is
• 2. Only works for 2 reactants
the limiting reactant?
• 3. Only works if the reactants are
given in moles

• 4. Doesn’t provide information about

the amount of product formed
Scratch Work for Monopoly Pros/Cons of Monopoly
• Pros

• 1. Tells the whole story!

• 2. Can use with more than 2

reactants

• Cons

• 1. Usually involves two

calculations at once

• 2. STOICHIOMETRY!

So which method is best? More Examples…

• 2Al + 6HCl → 2AlCl3 + 3H2
• For a quick answer for a
limiting reactant question, pick • If 25 moles of aluminum was added to 45 moles of HCl, which
apples to apples or tic tac toe. reactant will be the limiting reactant?

• For a more involved • N2 + 3H2 → 2NH3

calculation that asks about the
amount of product formed, • If you have 20 g of N2 and 5.0 g of H2, which is the limiting
use monopoly method. reactant?

• Or, you could just use • 4NH3 + 5O2 → 6H2O + 4NO

monopoly method the whole
time. • How many grams of NO are produced if 8 mol of NH3 are
burned in 20 mol of O2?