Answer
A limiting reactant problem describes a situation where the reactants present do not appear in stoichiometric quantities, resulting in the excess of one reactant.
For example: A + B -> AB
1. Calculate the amount of moles of each reactant.
2. Choose one of the reactants, I will choose A, and use conversion factors to find the amount of moles of B that would react with the quantity of the compound we have.
If the amount of moles that we have of B is lower than the amount necessary, B is the limiting reactant, and A the excess one.
If the amount of moles that we have of B is greater than the amount necessary, B is the excess reactant, and A the limiting one.
3. Now we pick only the amount of moles of limiting reactant, and do the calculations based only in its quantities. Then we solve the problem normally.
Work Step by Step
A limiting reactant problem describes a situation where the reactants present do not appear in stoichiometric quantities, resulting in the excess of one reactant.
For example: A + B -> AB
1. Calculate the amount of moles of each reactant.
2. Choose one of the reactants, I will choose A, and use conversion factors to find the amount of moles of B that would react with the quantity of the compound we have.
If the amount of moles that we have of B is lower than the amount necessary, B is the limiting reactant, and A the excess one.
If the amount of moles that we have of B is greater than the amount necessary, B is the excess reactant, and A the limiting one.
3. Now we pick only the amount of moles of limiting reactant, and do the calculations based only in its quantities. Then we solve the problem normally.
