Limiting Reagent Essay

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How to Determine the Limiting Reagent in a Chemical Reaction
Introduction
This is a set of instructions that will teach high school or undergraduate chemistry students how to determine the limiting reagent in a chemical reaction. Finding the limiting reagent in a chemical reaction will show which element or compound will run out first and be limited. These instructions will help to determine how much product will be produced in the chemical reaction. Any high school or undergraduate chemistry student with basic knowledge of chemistry and stoichiometry will be able to complete these instructions.

Materials
• Pencil with an eraser
• At least one sheet of ruled paper
• Math calculator (ex. TI-30XA or TI-84)

Warning
Be sure to include all …show more content…

Write down the following problem using a pencil and a sheet of paper: (See Figure 1)
Titanium (IV) chloride is obtained from Titanium (IV) oxide from the following reaction:
3TiO2 (s) + 4C (s) + 6Cl2 (g) ↔ 3TiCl4 (g) + 2CO2 (g) + 2CO (g)

Using the reaction above, determine the limiting reagent when 9.00 grams of TiO2 (s) are mixed with 13.00 grams of Cl2 (g) and excess carbon. Given: Atomic Mass of Reactants • TiO2 (s) =76.860 grams • Cl2 (g) =70.906 grams Figure 1: Limiting Reagent Problem

2. Set up a train track with the starting amount of TiO2(s) found in the original problem. (See Figure 2) Figure 2: Starting amount of TiO2 (s) on Train Track

3. Write the atomic mass for TiO2 (s) found in the original problem on the bottom train track, to the right of the vertical line. (See Figure 3) Figure 3: Atomic Mass of TiO2 (s)

4. Write 1 mole TiO2 (s) on the top train track, to the right of the vertical line. (See Figure 4) 1 mole of anything is equal to the amount of its atomic mass. 1 mole of TiO2 (s) is equal to its atomic mass given in the original problem. Figure 4: 1 mole of TiO2 (s) on Train …show more content…

Write the number determined from Step 19, including units, on the bottom train track, next to the vertical line drawn in Step 18. (See Figure 14) Hint: the units are moles of Cl2 (g). Figure 14: Amount of Moles of Cl2 (g)

21. Repeat Step 8.

22. Write the number determined from Step 21, along with units, on the top train track, next to the vertical line drawn in Step 18. (See Figure 15) Hint: the units are moles of TiCl4 (g). Figure 15: Amount of Moles of TiCl4 (g)
23. Repeat Steps 11-13.

24. Write the solution from Step 23 next to the fraction, labeling with correct units. (See Figure 16) Hint: the units are moles of TiCl4 (g).This is how many moles of TiCl4 (g) were produced from Cl2 (g). Figure 16: Solution after Simplifying the Fraction

25. Compare the final number of moles of TiCl4 (g) produced from both TiO2 (s) and Cl2 (g). (See Figure 17) Figure 17: Determining the Limiting Reagent

26. Determine which number of moles is smaller. Whichever compound, TiO2(s) or Cl2 (g), produced the lowest number of moles of TiCl4 (g), is the limiting reagent.

Limiting Reagent= Cl2 (g)

Troubleshooting
Question: What happens if both solutions are the same amount?
Answer: Double check your numbers and recalculate your

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