How Do You Calculate The Amount Of Reactant In Excess?
Every chemical reaction involves reactants and products. The reactants mix together in specific ratios to form the product chemicals. The amount of reactants and products are measured in moles: A mole is a specific number of atoms of a substance. Consider the reaction: 2 moles of hydrogen gas + 1 mole of oxygen gas = 2 moles of water. The number of moles stated in this reaction indicate that 2 moles of hydrogen will react with 1 mole of oxygen, and that ratio stays fixed. When real quantities of hydrogen and oxygen are mixed together, one reactant may be completely used up to form water, while there might be some of the other reactant left over. The leftover reactant is said to be in excess. Calculating the amount of reactant in excess can be done using the molar ratio from the chemical equation. Determine the molar ratio of the two reactants in question. Write the ratio with the larger number first and call the reactant it represents the “first reactant.” Example: Hydrogen gas and oxy
