The number of moles of a substance can be found by using the following equation:
It is important to be clear about the type of particle you are referring to when dealing with moles
Eg. 1 mole of CaF2?contains one mole of CaF2?formula units, but one mole of Ca2+?and two moles of F-?ions
Reacting masses
The?masses?of reactants are useful to determine how much of the reactants?exactly?react with each other to prevent waste
To calculate the reacting masses, the chemical equation is required
This equation shows the ratio of moles of all the reactants and products, also called the?stoichiometry, of the reaction
To find the mass of products formed in a reaction the following pieces of information are needed:
The mass of the reactants
The molar mass of the reactants
The balanced equation
Worked Example
Calculate the mass of magnesium oxide that can be made by completely burning 6.0 g of magnesium in oxygen.
magnesium (s) + oxygen (g) → magnesium oxide (s)
Answer:
Step 1:?The symbol equation is:
2Mg(s)????+ ????O2(g)??????→??????2MgO(s)
Step 2:?The relative atomic masses are:
magnesium : 24.31? ? ? ? ?oxygen : 16.00
Step 3:?Calculate the moles of magnesium used in reaction
Step 4:?Find the ratio of magnesium to magnesium oxide using the balanced chemical equation
Therefore, 0.25 mol of MgO is formed
Step 5:?Find the mass of magnesium oxide
mass =?mol?x?M
mass?= 0.25?mol?x 40.31?g mol-1
mass?= 10.08 g
Therefore,?mass of magnesium oxide produced is 10 g?(2 sig figs)
Excess & limiting reactants
Sometimes, there is an?excess?of one or more of the reactants (excess reactant)
The reactant which is not in excess is called the?limiting reactant
To determine which reactant is limiting:
The number of moles of the reactants should be calculated
The ratio of the reactants shown in the equation should be taken into account eg:
C? + 2H2????? →???? CH4
What is limiting when 10 mol of carbon are reacted with 3 mol of hydrogen?
Hydrogen is the?limiting reactant?and since the ratio of C : H2?is 1:2 only 1.5 mol of C will react with 3 mol of H2
Exam Tip
An easy way to determine the limiting reactant is to find the moles of each substance and divide the moles by the coefficient in the equationThe?lowest?number resulting is the?limiting reactant
In the example above:
divide 10 moles of C by 1, giving 10
divide 3 moles of H by 2, giving 1.5, so hydrogen is limiting
Worked Example
9.2 g of sodium metal is reacted with 8.0 g of sulfur to produce sodium sulfide, Na2S.Which reactant is in excess and which is limiting?
Answer:
Step 1:?Calculate the moles of each reactant
Step 2:?Write the balanced equation and determine the coefficients
2Na + S → Na2S
Step 3:?Divide the moles by the coefficient and determine the limiting reagent
divide 0.40 moles of Na by 2, giving 0.20- lowest
divide 0.25 moles of S by 1, giving 0.25
Therefore,?sodium is limiting?and?sulfur is in excess