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Limiting Reactant
Most of the time in chemistry we have more of
one reactant than we need to completely use
up other reactant.
That reactant is said to be in excess (there is
too much).
The other reactant limits how much product we
get. Once it runs out, the reaction
s.
This is called the limiting reactant.
Limiting Reactant
Limiting
Limiting
Reactant
Reactant: Example
1 mol Al
27.0 g Al
1 mol AlCl3
= 49.4g AlCl3
Now Cl2:
35.0g Cl2 1 mol Cl2
71.0 g Cl2
1 mol AlCl3
= 43.9g AlCl3
Theoretical Yield
We get 49.4g of aluminum chloride from the given
amount of aluminum, but only 43.9g of aluminum
chloride from the given amount of chlorine.
Therefore, chlorine is the limiting reactant.
Theoretical Yield The predicted amount of
product is the theoretical yield. 43.9 g of AlCl 3 is
the calculated product, so that is the theoretical
yield.
I2
1 mole
= 19.8 g KI
2 K + I2 2 KI
We found that Iodine is the limiting reactant, and
19.6 g of potassium iodide are produced.
15.0 g I2
1 mol I2
2 mol K
39.1 g K
254 g I2
1 mol I2
1 mol K
= 4.62 g K
USED!
Amount of
excess
reactant
actually
used
Percentage Yield
Percentage yield is the percent of the
theoretical yield that was made by our
experiment.
actual amount of product
percentage yield = ---------------------------------------- x 100
theoretical yield
(the amount you expect to get from the reaction)
Percentage Yield
Example: A student conducts a single
displacement reaction that produces
2.755 grams of copper. If 3.150 grams
of copper should have been produced
what is the student's percentage yield?
Percentage Yield
2.755g
percentage yield = --------------- x 100
3.150g
Sample problem
Q - What is the % yield of H2O if 138 g H2O is
produced from 16 g H2 and excess O2?
Step 1: write the balanced chemical equation
2H2 + O2 2H2O
Step 2: determine actual and theoretical yield.
Actual is given, theoretical is calculated:
% yield =
actual
138 g H2O
=
x 100%
x 100%
theoretical
143 g H2O
96.7%
Practice problem
Q - What is the % yield of NH3 if 40.5 g NH3 is
produced from 20.0 mol H2 and excess N2?
Step 1: write the balanced chemical equation
N2 + 3H2 2NH3
Step 2: determine actual and theoretical yield.
Actual is given, theoretical is calculated:
17.04 g NH3 =
227 g
1 mol NH3
40.5 g NH3
x 100% = 17.8%
227 g NH3