LIMITING

REACTANT
and
PERCENT
YIELD
 WHAT’S
INSIDE?
1 The Concept
Finding
2 Limiting Reactant
3 Theoretical Yield
Excess Reactant
4 and Left Over

5 Percent Yield
Finding
6 Actual Yield
7 Practice Problems
References
8 and Links

9 Enrichment Exercises
 1 The Concept
A great example of everyday chemistry is cooking. To correctly
follow a recipe, you must ensure that you have all the necessary
ingredients to properly prepare the dish.

Suppose you decided to prepare sandwiches for your friends. Let’s

use the following recipe:

Available ingredients:
6 slices of bread
4 beef patties

To make a sandwich, you will need two slices of bread and one beef
patty.
▪ How many beef patties would be needed if all six breads were used?
(Three)
▪ Which of the two ingredients do you think will be used up first? (Bread)
▪ Which ingredient will have excess? (Beef patty)

Here’s what you can make out of the ingredients you have:

limiting theoretical excess

reactant yield reactant

Although there are four beef patties (a greater supply than what is
needed), you can only prepare three sandwiches. The bread, since it’s the
first ingredient you run out of, will limit the number of sandwiches that can
be made.
 The same thing happens in chemical reactions: there is always a
limiting reactant and typically, an excess reactant. When there is not
enough of one reactant in a chemical reaction, the reaction stops abruptly.
To figure out the amount of product formed, it’s important to determine
the limiting and excess reactants.

LIMITING REACTANT
(or limiting reagent) is the reactant EXCESS REACTANT
that gets consumed first and (or excess reagent) is the
therefore limits the amount of reactant that has left over after
product formed during a chemical the reaction stops
reaction

In our example, the bread is the limiting reactant. Once we run out of
bread, we’ll have to stop making sandwiches. The beef patty, on the other
hand, is the excess reactant.

The amount of product that is formed when the limiting reactant is

fully consumed in a reaction is known as the theoretical yield.

THEORETICAL YIELD
ACTUAL YIELD
maximum amount of
amount of product that is
product that can be formed
actually obtained (in
in a chemical reaction
practice, actual yield is
based on the amount of
almost always lower than
limiting reactant
theoretical yield)

PERCENT YIELD
percentage of the theoretical yield
that was actually obtained
Percent Yield = Actual Yield x 100
Theoretical Yield
 Finding Limiting
2 Reactant
Problem:
> Whatisthegreatestamountof AlCl3 (ingrams)thatcanbemade
with114gofAland186gof Cl2?
(a) Whichisthelimitingreactant?
(b) Which reactant is in excess,and how many grams of it are left
over?

2 Al + 3 Cl2 2 AlCl3
(a) Findthelimitingreactant

Step1:Writedowntheknownandtheunknownquantities
Given: 114 g Al
186 g Cl2
Unknown: (a) theoretical yield of AlCl3
(b) limiting reactant
(c) excess reactant and amount of left over
Note: Before making any calculations, make sure that the equation is balanced and
that the numbers that you plug into the equation are always in moles.

Step2:Convertgramsof eachreactanttomoles
▪ How many moles of each reactant do we have?

WhatYou’llDo: gramsof reactant molesof reactant

molar mass
of reactant
In the periodic table, the molar
114gAl x 1moleAl = 4.23 molesAl mass of Aluminum is 26.98
g/mol and multiply this to given
26.98gAl
grams of Al
186gCl2 x 1mole Cl2 = 2.62 moles Cl2 Multiply g Cl2 by the
conversion factor, 1 mol Cl2
70.90gCl2
= 70.90 g Cl2
✓ There are 4.23 moles Al and 2.62 moles Cl2
 Step3: Assumethatallof onereactantisreactedcompletely.Multiplythe
molesof thisreactanttothemoleratio.
• How many moles of Cl2 is needed to use all of the Al?
To solve, multiply the given
moles of Al by the mole to 4.23 molesAl x 3 moles Cl2 = 6.35 moles Cl2
mole ratio: 2 molesAl
3 moles Cl2 The result tells that we need
2 moles Al 6.35 moles of Cl2 to use all of the
Coefficients from balanced equation 4.23 moles Al.
2 Al + 3 Cl2 2 AlCl3

• How many moles of Al is needed to use all of the Cl2?

Again, multiply the given
moles of Cl2 by the mole to 2.62 moles Cl2 x 2 molesAl = 1.75 molesAl
mole ratio from the 3 moles Cl2
relationship:
2 moles of Al We need 1.75 moles of Al to use all
3 moles of Cl2 of the Cl2.

Step4:Figureoutwhichisthelimitingreactant
(The first reactant to be used up is the limiting reactant)

Go back to the results:

▪ To use all of the Al, we need 6.35 moles of Cl2, but there are only
2.62 moles Cl2 available.
▪ To use all of the Cl2, we only need 1.75 moles Al and we have 4.23
moles Al.

Cl2 =
We have enough Al to use all Limiting Reactant
of the Cl2, but we don’t have Al =
enough Cl2 to use all of the Excess Reactant
Al.
 3 Theoretical Yield

(b) What is the greatest amount of AlCl3 (in grams)

that can be made with 114 g of Al and 186 g of
Cl2? The equation is shown below

2 Al + 3 Cl2 2 AlCl3
In this question, we are asked to find the greatest amount of product that can be
made, which is actually the theoretical yield. Now that we know that Cl2 is the
limiting reactant, we can now calculate the greatest amount of AlCl3 that can be
made. To produce AlCl3 we will use all of the limiting reactant, Cl2.

Theoretical Yield = What the Limiting

Reactant
Produces
Step 1: Use the amount of limiting reactant to calculate the amount of
product formed.
Multiply the given moles of Cl2 by the mole to mole
ratio from the coefficients of the balanced
equation:
2 moles of AlCl3
3 moles of Cl2

2.62 moles Cl2 x 2 moles AlCl3= 1.75 moles AlCl3

3 moles Cl2
Step2:ConvertmolesofAlCl3 togramsAlCl3
molar mass of AlCl3
Al = 26.98 x 1 = 26.98
Cl = 35.45 x 3 = 106.35
Add masses together
26.98 + 106.35 = 133.33 g/mol

1.75 moles AlCl3 x 133.33 grams AlCl3 = 233 g AlCl3

1 moleAlCl3
This means that the greatest amount of AlCl3 that can be produced, starting
with the maximum amount of the limiting reactant is 233 grams AlCl 3.
 Excess Reactant and
4 Left Over

(c) Which reactant is in excess, and how many

grams of it are left over?
2 Al + 3 Cl2 2 AlCl3

In the equation, there are two reactants – Al and Cl2. From

the previous calculations, we figured out that Cl2 is the Al =
Excess Reactant
limiting reactant. Therefore, Al is the excess reactant.

Step 1: Find the amount of remaining excess reactant by subtracting the

mass of excessreactantusedfromthetotalexcessreactantpresent.

Excess Reactant = Total Reactant – Reactant used

4.23 moles Al – 1.75 moles Al = 2.48 moles Al

Step2:ConvertmolesofAltogramsofAl

2.48 moles Al x 26.98 g Al= 66.9 g Al Left over

1 moleAl

There are 66.9 grams of Al that

Multiply the moles of Al by the are in excess.
conversion factor which gives the
molar mass of Al, 26.98 g/mol
 5 Percent Yield

> Find the percent yield if 198 grams of AlCl3 are

produced.

Let’s go back to the previous step, where we found the theoretical

yield was 233 g AlCl3. This time, we are given the actual yield which
is 198 g AlCl3.

Theoretical Yield = 233 g AlCl3 Actual Yield = 198 g

AlCl3

Plug our numbers into the percent yield equation:

A good percent yield

PercentYield = ActualYield x 100
is above 80%, while a
TheoreticalYield
near perfect percent
yield is 100%. = 198gAlCl3 x 100
Anything over 100% 233gAlCl3
indicates PercentYield = 84.98 %
contamination or
human error.
 Finding
6 Actual Yield

> Find actual yield if the limiting reactant produced

198 grams of product and the percent yield is
84.98%.
Now this question is asking us to find the actual yield.
The percent yield and theoretical yield are given.

Percent Yield = 84.98% Theoretical Yield = 198 g

Given in
This is whatever
the
the limiting
question
reactant produces

Plug the given in the formula and solve for actual yield:

PercentYield = ActualYield x 100

TheoreticalYield
84.98% = ActualYield x 100
198g

Step1:Divideby100onbothsidestocanceloutthepercentage
84.98% = ActualYield x 100
100 198g 100
0.825 = ActualYield
198g

Step2:Multiplybothsidesby198togetactualyieldbyitself
198 x 0.825 = ActualYield x 198
198g
ActualYield = 163.35 g
 7 Practice Problems

Problem # 1:
7.8 moles of Mg reacts with 4.7 moles of O2 to produce MgO, as
shown in the balanced equation below.
2 Mg + O2 2 MgO
(a) What is the limiting reactant?

Given: 7.8 moles of Mg Unknown: (a) limiting reactant

4.7 moles of O2 (b) theoretical yield
(c) left over
Note: In this problem, the amount of reactants is already in moles,
so there is no need to convert grams to moles.

▪ Moles of O2 needed to use all of the Mg:

7.8 moles Mg x 1 moleO2 = 3.9 moles O2 We need 3.9 moles of O2 to
2 moles Mg use all of the Mg.

▪ Moles of Mg needed to use all of the O2:

4.7 moles O2 x 2 moles Mg = 9.4 moles Mg We need 9.4 moles Mg

1 mole O2 to use all of the O2.

Limiting
The result shows that there is enough O2 to use all reactant =
of the Mg, but not enough Mg to use all of the O2. Mg
(b) Calculate the greatest amount of MgO (in moles) that can be
made.
7.8 moles Mg x 2 moles MgO = 7.8 moles MgO
2 moles Mg

mole to mole ratio:

2 moles of MgO This means that the theoretical
2 moles of Mg yield is 7.8 moles MgO.
(from the balanced equation)
(c) Which reactant is in excess, and how many moles of it are
left over?

Limiting Reactant = Mg Excess Reactant = O2

Excess Reactant = Total Reactant – Reactant used

4.7 moles O2 – 3.9 moles O2 = 0.8 moles O2
Left over
amount

Problem # 2:
Given the following reaction:
C3H8 + 5 O2 3 CO2 + 4 H2O
(a) If you start with 14.8 g C3H8 and 3.44 g of O2, determine
the limiting reactant.
Note: Before making calculations, make
sure that the equation is balanced. The
Given: 14.8 g C3H8 amount of reactants are given in grams,
3.44 g O2 so we need to convert them into moles.
Unknown: (a) limiting reactant
(b) theoretical yield of CO2
(c) theoretical yield of H2O
(d) left over amount
Convert g to moles:

14.8 g C3H8 x 1 mole C3H8 = 0.336 moles C3H8

44.1 g C3H8

molar mass of C3H8:

44.1 g/mol

3.44 g O2 x 1 mole O2 = 0.108 moles O2

32.0 g O2

molar mass of O2:

32.0 g/mol
Moles of C3H8 needed to use all of O2:

0.336 moles C3H8 x 5 moles O2 = 1.68 moles O2

1 mole C3H8 We don’t have it
O2 =
Moles of O2 needed to use all of C3H8: Limiting reactant

0.108 moles O2 x 1 mole C3H8 = 0.0216 moles C3H8

5 moles O2

(b) Determine the number of grams of carbon dioxide produced.

mole to mole ratio: 3 moles CO2

5 moles O2
(from the balanced equation)

0.108 moles O2 x 3 moles CO2 = 0.648 moles CO2 Convert to

grams
5 moles O2
0.648 moles CO2 x 44 g CO2 = 28.512 g CO2
1 mole CO2
molar mass of CO2 =
44 g/mol

(c) Determine the number of grams of H2O produced.

An easier method is to directly convert moles to grams:

0.108 moles O2 x 4 moles H2O x 18 g H2O = 15.6 g H2O

5 moles O2 1mole H2O
mole to mole
ratio: 4 moles molar mass of
H2O H2O = 18 g/mol
5 moles O2

(d) Determine the number of grams of excess reactant left.

Excess Reactant = Total Reactant – Reactant used
0.336 moles C3H8 – 0.0216 moles C3H8 = 0.3144 moles C3H8
Convert to grams:
0.3144 moles C3H8 x 44.1 g C3H8 = 13.9 g C3H8
1mole C3H8 Left over
amount
Molar mass of C3H8 =
44.1 g/mol
 Problem # 3:
How many grams of NH3 can be produced (theoretically) from the
reaction of 5.0 g of N2 and 5.0 g H2? What is the limiting
reactant? If 5.82 grams are actually formed, what is the percent
yield of NH3?
3 H2 + N2 2 NH3

Given: 5.0 g N2 Actual Yield = 8.52 g NH3

5.0 g H2
Unknown: (a) theoretical yield
(b) limiting reactant
(c) percent yield

(a) Find the grams of NH3 (theoretical yield) that can be produced
from each of the given reactants.
In this problem, we do not know yet the limiting reactant. Another
method of solving this is by following this simple step:

N2: 1 2 3
WhatYou’llDo: g N2 molN2 molNH3 gNH3
molar mass mole to mole molar mass of
of N2 ratio NH3

1 2 3 molar mass of NH3

mole to mole ratio: 2 mol NH3
molar mass of N2 N = 14.01 x 1 = 14.01
1 mol N2
N = 14.01 x 2 = 28.02 H = 1.01 x 3 = 3.03
Coefficients from balanced equation
g/mol N2 Add masses together
3 H 2 + 1 N2 2 NH3
14.01 + 3.03 = 17.04
g/mol NH3

5.0 g N2 x 1 mole N2 x 2 moles NH3 x 17.04 g NH3 = 6.08 g NH3

28.02 g N2 1 mole N2 1 mole NH3 produced from N2

Let’s do this same process for the second reactant H2.

5.0 g H2 x 1 mole H2 x 2 moles NH3 x 17.04 g NH3 = 28.12 g NH3
2.02 g H2 3 moles H2 1 mole NH3 produced from H2
1 2 3 molar mass of NH3
mole to mole ratio: 2 mol NH3
molar mass of H2 17.04 g/mol NH3
3 mol H2
H = 1.01 x 2 = 2.02
Coefficients from balanced equation
g/mol N2
3 H2 + 1 N2 2 NH3
(b) What is the limiting reactant?

The limiting reactant determines the maximum amount of product

formed. To determine the limiting reactant, identify the reactant that
gives the smallest amount of product. The larger amount cannot be
formed because there is not enough of the limiting reactant present.

N2 =
Amount of NH3 formed by N2 = 6.08 g Limiting
Amount of NH3 formed by H2 = 28.12 g Reactant

(c) If 5.82 grams are actually formed, what is the percent yield of
NH3?

Actual Yield = 5.82 g Theoretical Yield =

6.08 g
Given in the
question
Percent Yield = ? Based from the
computation

PercentYield = ActualYield x 100

TheoreticalYield
= 5.82gN2 x 100
6.08gN2
PercentYield = 95.72 %
 Problem # 4:
For the reaction
CaCO3 + 2 HCl CaCl2 + CO2 + H2O

68.1 g CaCO3 is mixed with 51.6 g HCl. What number of grams of

CO2 will be produced?

Note: Ensure that the equation is balanced and the given

amount of reactants in grams are converted to moles.

Given: 68.1 g CaCO3

51.6 g HCl

▪ First, determine the limiting reactant.

A faster method is to convert g to mol, then directly solve for the amount
of reactant (in grams) needed to use up all of the other reactant.

molar mass of CaCO3

molar mass of HCl
Ca = 40.08 x 1 = 40.08 mole to mole ratio: H = 1.01 x 1 = 1.01
C = 12.01 x 1 = 12.01 2 mol NH3 Cl = 35.45 x 1= 35.45
O = 16.0 x 3 = 48.0 1 mol N2 36.46
100.09 (from the balanced equation) g/mol
g/mol

68.1 g CaCO3 x 1 moleCaCO3 x 2 mole HCl x 36.46 g HCl = 49.6 g HCl

100.09 g CaCO3 1 mole CaCO3 1 mole HCl
We need 49.6 g HCl, and
Here, we may not solve for the limiting
we have 51.6 g of HCl.
reactant since we have already figured out
HCl is the EXCESS
the excess reactant. We will use the limiting
REACTANT.
reactant to compute how much of the
product can be made.
CaCO3 = Limiting
Reactant

▪ Next, use the limiting reactant to determine the grams of CO2

that can be produced.

68.1 g CaCO3 x 1 moleCaCO3 x 1 mole CO2 x 44.01 g CO2 = 29.9 g CO2

100.09 g CaCO3 1 mole CaCO3 1 mole CO2 produced
molar mass of CO2
C = 12.01 x 1 = 12.01
O = 16.0 x 2 = 32.00
44.01
g/mol
 Problem # 5:
When copper (II) chloride reacts with sodium nitrate, copper (II)
nitrate and sodium chloride are formed. The balanced chemical
equation is:
CuCl2 + 2 NaNO3 Cu(NO3)2 + 2 NaCl

(a) If 15 grams of copper (II) chloride react with 20 grams of

sodium nitrate, how much sodium chloride (in grams) can be
formed?
(b) What is the limiting reactant?
(c) How many grams of copper (II) nitrate is formed?
(d) If 11.3 grams of sodium chloride are actually formed in the
reaction, what is the percent yield of this reaction?

Note: This problem is similar to Problem # 3

Given: 15 g CuCl2
20 g NaNO3

(a) Grams of NaCl that can be formed

15 g CuCl2 x 1 mole CuCl2 x 2 moles NaCl x 58.44 g NaCl = 13.04 g NaCl

134.45 g CuCl2 1 mole CuCl2 1 mole NaCl producedfromCuCl2

20 g NaNO3 x 1 moleNaNO3 x 2 moles NaCl x 58.44 g NaCl = 13.75 g NaCl

84.99 g NaNO3 2 moles NaNO3 1 mole NaCl producedfrom
NaNO3

(b) Find the limiting reactant

CuCl2 =
Amount of NaCl formed by CuCl2 = 13.04 g Limiting
Amount of NaCl formed by NaNO3 = 13.75 g Reactant

(c) Grams of Cu(NO3)2 that can be formed

15 g CuCl2 x 1 mole CuCl2 x 1 moleCu(NO3)2 x 187.56 g Cu(NO3)2 = 20.93 g

134.45 g CuCl2 1 mole CuCl2 1 mole Cu(NO3)2 Cu(NO3)2
(d) Percent yield

Actual Yield = 11.3 g NaCl Theoretical Yield = 13.04

g NaCl
Given in the Based from the
question computation

PercentYield = ActualYield x 100

TheoreticalYield
= 11.3gNaCl x 100
13.04gNaCl
PercentYield = 86.66 %
 8 References and Links

▪ Limiting reactant and theoretical

yield (Khan Academy) For additional
https://www.khanacademy.org/scienc readings, you may
e/ap-chemistry- visit these
beta/x2eef969c74e0d802:chemical- educational sites:
reactions/x2eef969c74e0d802:stoich
iometry/a/limiting-reagents-and-
percent-yield

▪ Limiting reagent (Chemistry LibreTexts)

https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Inorganic_Chemistry/Sup
plemental_Modules_and_Websites_(Inorganic_Chemistry)/Chemi
cal_Reactions/Limiting_Reagents

▪ Limiting Reactant (CK-12)

https://www.ck12.org/chemistry/limiting-reactant/

▪ Introduction to Limiting
To answer the Reactant and Excess
Guided Notes Reactant, Tyler Dewitt
Exercise, watch the https://m.youtube.com/wat
video on limiting ch?v=nZOVR8EMwRU&t=1
reactants in these s&pp=ygUXTGltaXRpbmcg
YouTube links: cmVhY3RhbnQgdHlsZXI%
3D

▪ Limiting Reactant Practice Problem

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N0dTXcoHI-
I&t=10s&pp=ygUXTGltaXRpbmcgcmVhY3RhbnQgdHlsZXI%3D

▪ Limiting Reactant Practice Problem (Advanced)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N0dTXcoHI-
I&t=12s&pp=ygUXTGltaXRpbmcgcmVhY3RhbnQgdHlsZXI%3D
 7 Enrichment Exercises

Exercise # 1:
Guided Notes
Limiting Reactant – Tyler DeWitt (YouTube)

The limiting reactant is the reactant (left side of the arrow) that is completely used
up in a chemical reaction. When the reaction stops, there is NO limiting reactant
leftover.
Any other reactant is called an excess reactant because when the reaction stops
there is some excess leftover.

Watch Tyler Dewitt’s video, Introduction to Limiting Reactant and

Excess Reactant, to answer the following questions.

1. What do we call the chemicals on the left side of the arrow in a

reaction? _________________________
2. What do we call the chemicals on the right side of the arrow in a
reaction? _________________________
3. What causes a chemical reaction to stop? ________________________
________________________________________________________________

3 cups flour + 1 cup water 5 bread rolls

4. In the example, IF ALL the 6 cups of flour are used up how many
cups of water do you need? ___________
5. IF ALL the 3 cups of water are used up how many cups of flour do
you need? ___________
6. What is the limiting reactant in this example? ______________
7. What is the excess reactant? ______________
What is the greatest amount of NH3 (in mol) that can be made with
3.2 mol N2 and 5.4 mol H2? What is the limiting reactant? Which
reactant is in excess, and how many mol of it are leftover?
N2 + 3 H2 2 NH3

8. In this problem, IF ALL the 3.2 mol N2 is used up how many mol of
H2 do you need?
show your work here: 3.2 mol N2 x mol H2 = __________________
mol N2

9. IF ALL the 5.4 mol H2 is used up how many mol of N2 do you need?
show your work here: 5.4 mol H2 x mol N2 = __________________
mol H2

10. What is the limiting reactant in this example? _________________

Why?____________________________________________________

11. What is the excess reactant in this example? ______________

Why?____________________________________________________

12. Now, use the limiting reactant (5.4 mol H2) to calculate the
greatest amount of NH3 that can be made:
show your work here: 5.4 mol H2 x mol NH3 = __________________
mol H2

13. Now, let’s calculate the moles of excess reactant leftover when the
reaction stops.
Remember, Tyler already calculated how much N2 was used
(question #9 above):

REMEMBER: 5.4 mol H2 x 1 mol N2 = 1.8 mol N2 is used

3 mol H2

initial excess mol – excess mol used = leftover excess mol

show the work here: ____________ – ___________ = _______________

Watch the video “Limiting Reactant Practice Problem” and follow
the guided notes:

What is the greatest amount of MgO (in mol) that can be made with
7.8 mol Mg and 4.7 mol O2? What is the limiting reactant? Which
reactant is in excess, and how many mol of it are leftover?
2 Mg + O2 2 MgO

14. In the example, IF ALL the 7.8 mol Mg is used up how many mol
of O2 do you need?
show the work here: 7.8 mol Mg x mol O2 = __________________
mol Mg
15. IF ALL the 4.7 mol O2 is used up how many mol of Mg do you
need?
show the work here: 4.7 mol O2 x mol Mg = __________________
mol O2
16. What is the limiting reactant in this example? ________________
Why?____________________________________________________

17. What is the excess reactant in this example? ________________

Why?____________________________________________________

18. Now, use the limiting reactant mol to calculate the greatest
amount of MgO that can be made:
show the work here: _______ mol Mg x ________ = ________ mol MgO

19. Now, let’s calculate the moles of excess reactant leftover when the
reaction stops.
Remember, Tyler already calculated how much O2 was used
(question #14 above):

REMEMBER: 7.8 mol Mg x 1 mol O2 = 3.9 mol O2 is used

2 mol Mg
initial excess mol – excess mol used = leftover excess mol

show the work here: ____________ – ____________ = _____________

Watch the video “Limiting Reactant Practice Problem (Advanced)” and
follow the guided notes:

What is the greatest mass of AlCl3 (in grams) that can be made with 114 g
Al and 186 g Cl2? What is the limiting reactant? Which reactant is in excess,
and how many grams of it are leftover?
2 Al + 3 Cl2 2 AlCl3

20. How many moles of each reactant do we have?

show the work here: 114 g Al x mol Al = __________________

g Al
show the work here: 186 g Cl2 x mol Cl2 = __________________
g Cl2
21. In the example, IF ALL the moles of Al are used up how many mol of
Cl2 do you need?
show the work here: _______ mol Al x mol Cl2 = __________________
mol Al
22. IF ALL the moles of Cl2 are used up how many mol of Al do you need?
show the work here: _______ mol Cl2 x mol Al = ________________
mol Cl2
23. What is the limiting reactant in this example? ______________
Why?____________________________________________________
24. What is the excess reactant in this example? _______________
Why?____________________________________________________
25. Now, use the limiting reactant moles to calculate the greatest moles of
AlCl3 that can be made:
show the work here: _______ mol Cl2 x _______ = _______ mol AlCl3

26. The question asks for grams of AlCl3. How many grams of AlCl3 is this?
show the work here: ____ mol AlCl3 x ____ g AlCl3 = ________ g AlCl3
mol AlCl3
27. Now, let’s calculate the grams of excess reactant leftover when the
reaction stops.
Remember, Tyler already calculated how much Al was used
(question #22 above):

REMEMBER: 2.62 mol Cl2 x 2 mol Al = 1.75 mol Al is used

3 mol Cl2
initial excess mol – excess mol used = leftover excess mol
show the work here: _____________ – ____________ = _______________
28. The question asks for grams of excess reactant (Al). How many grams
of Al is this?
show the work here: ______ mol Al x ____ g Al = ________ g Al
mol Al
Exercise # 2:
Limiting Reactant in Everyday Life

We often use the concept of limiting reactants in everyday life without

even realizing it, especially while cooking or preparing your favorite
food!

1. You invited your friends over for lunch on Saturday. You are
planning to make cheese sandwiches that require two slices of bread
and one slice of cheese. You found in your refrigerator that you have
40 slices of cheese, then looked in the bread box to find that you
have 16 slices of bread.

a. Which of your ingredients is limiting the number of

sandwiches you can make?
b. How many sandwiches can you make?
c. How much of your starting ingredients is left over once you
are done making sandwiches?

2. A community needs to prepare disaster relief kits for an upcoming

hurricane. The kits require 2 water bottles, 1 protein bar, and 1
flashlight each. The community has 200 water bottles, 150 protein
bars, and 100 flashlights. How many disaster relief kits can they
prepare?

3. A community needs to build emergency shelters for its residents in

case of a disaster. Each shelter requires 40 sheets of plywood and
100 nails. The community has 2000 sheets of plywood and 5000
nails. How many shelters can they build? Which material limits the
number of shelters that could be built?

4. Suppose you work in a gift-packaging store. To package presents,

you need one bag plus four pieces of tissue paper.. The equation
would be: 1 gift bag + 4 pieces of tissue → 1 packaged present.

a. If you had 50 bags and 24 pieces of tissue paper, how many

packaged presents could you make?
b. What would the limiting reactant be?
Exercise # 3:
Limiting Reactant Problems

1. When copper (II) chloride reacts with sodium nitrate, copper

(II) nitrate and sodium chloride are formed. The balanced
equation for the reaction given above is:

CuCl2 + 2 NaNO3 → Cu(NO3)2 + 2 NaCl

a. If 15 grams of copper (II) chloride react with 20 grams of sodium

nitrate, how much sodium chloride can be formed?
b. What is the limiting reactant for the reaction?
c. How many grams of copper(II) nitrate is formed?
d. How much of the excess reagent is left over in this reaction?
e. If 11.3 grams of sodium chloride are formed in the reaction
described in the problem, what is the percent yield of this reaction?

2. 1000 grams of sodium chloride is combined with 2000 grams

of barium phosphate. The balanced equation is:

6 NaCl + Ba3(PO4)2 → 2 Na3PO4 + 3 BaCl2

a. What is the limiting reactant?

b. How many grams of excess reactant are left?

3. A chemist burns 160.0 g of Al in excess air to produce

aluminum oxide, Al2O3. She produces 260.0 g of solid aluminum
oxide. The balanced equation for the reaction is:

4 Al + 3 O2 → Al2O3

a. Determine the theoretical yield.

b. Determine the percent yield.
 Exercise # 4:
Group Challenge
Write a balanced chemical equation, then show your complete solution
for each of the following problems. Each group should be able to solve
two problems.
1. Suppose a disaster relief team is tasked with producing a chlorine solution
for water purification. The team has 5.0 g of calcium hypochlorite
(Ca(ClO)2) and 3.0 g of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO). What mass of
chlorine gas (Cl2) can be produced?
2. In the aftermath of a chemical spill, a cleanup crew mixes 20.0 g of sodium
bicarbonate (NaHCO3) with 30.0 g of acetic acid (CH3COOH) to neutralize
the acid. What mass of water (H2O) is produced in the reaction?
3. A search and rescue team needs to produce oxygen gas (O2) to support
the rescue operation. The team has 10.0 g of potassium chlorate (KClO3)
and 5.0 g of manganese dioxide (MnO2). What mass of oxygen gas can be
produced?
4. A disaster response team needs to produce carbon dioxide (CO2) to
extinguish a fire. The team has 15.0 g of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)
and 20.0 g of citric acid (C6H8O7). What mass of carbon dioxide gas can be
produced?
5. A disaster relief team needs to produce hydrogen gas (H2) to power a
backup generator. The team has 10.0 g of zinc (Zn) and 15.0 g of
hydrochloric acid (HCl). What mass of hydrogen gas can be produced?
6. A disaster response team needs to produce ammonium chloride (NH4Cl)
to treat water contaminated with heavy metals. The team has 12.0 g of
ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) and 10.0 g of hydrochloric acid (HCl).
What mass of ammonium chloride can be produced?
7. A disaster relief team needs to produce calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to
neutralize acid in soil contaminated by a hazardous chemical spill. The
team has 30.0 g of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and 25.0 g of carbon
dioxide (CO2). What mass of calcium carbonate can be produced?
8. A disaster response team needs to produce sodium chloride (NaCl) to
treat water contaminated with bacteria. The team has 20.0 g of sodium
hydroxide (NaOH) and 15.0 g of hydrochloric acid (HCl). What mass of
sodium chloride can be produced?
9. A search and rescue team needs to produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to
disinfect contaminated surfaces. The team has 8.0 g of hydrochloric acid
(HCl) and 12.0 g of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). What mass of water (H2O)
is produced in the reaction?
10. A disaster relief team needs to produce aluminum oxide (Al2O3) to
decontaminate soil affected by a hazardous chemical spill. The team has
25.0 g of aluminum (Al) and 30.0 g of oxygen gas (O2). What mass of
aluminum oxide can be produced?