Limiting Reactants & Percent Yield
Definitions Limiting Reactant - completely consumed in the reaction and determines the amount of product formed Excess Reactant - some amount remains left over at the end of reaction
Limiting Reactant Problems 2 starting amounts of reactants are given The reactant that makes the least theoretical amount of product = Limiting The reactant that makes more theoretical product = Excess This much can’t be made Some reactant is not used and still remains
Limiting Reactant Worksheet Consider the following reaction: 2 Al + 6 HBr → 2 AlBr H 2 a. When 3.22 moles of Al reacts with 4.96 moles of HBr, how many moles of H 2 are formed? b. What is the limiting reactant? c. For the reactant in excess, how many moles are left over at the end of the reaction?
Percent Yield The maximum amount of product that can be obtained from a reaction is the theoretical yield Frequently, the actual yield (the amount obtained in the lab) is less. Percent Yield = actual X 100% theoretical