Limiting Reagents (Reactants)

How to Find the Limiting Reagent (Reactant): Approach 1

Find the limiting reagent by looking at the number of moles of each reactant.

1. Determine the balanced chemical equation for the chemical reaction.

2. Convert all given information into moles (most likely, through the use of molar
mass as a conversion factor).
3. Calculate the mole ratio from the given information. Compare the calculated ratio
to the actual ratio.
4. Use the amount of limiting reactant to calculate the amount of product produced.
5. If necessary, calculate how much is left in excess of the non-limiting reagent.

How to Find the Limiting Reagent: Approach 2

Find the limiting reagent by calculating and comparing the amount of product each
reactant will produce.

1. Balance the chemical equation for the chemical reaction.

2. Convert the given information into moles.
3. Use stoichiometry for each individual reactant to find the mass of product
produced.
4. The reactant that produces a lesser amount of product is the limiting reagent.
5. The reactant that produces a larger amount of product is the excess reagent.
6. To find the amount of remaining excess reactant, subtract the mass of excess
reagent consumed from the total mass of excess reagent given

Example #1: A limiting reagent problem we will use for discussion is:

2Al + 3I2 ------> 2AlI3

0.5 mol Al

0.5 mol I2

0.5/2 = 0.25 EXCESS Al

0.5/3 = 0.17 L.R. I2

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0.5 mol I2 X 2 mol ALI3/ 3 mol I2 = 0.33 mol AlI3
2Al + 3I2 ------> 2AlI3
0.5 mol I2 X 2 mol Al / 3 mol I2 = 0.33 mol Al reacted
Excess mol Al (unreacted) = 0.5 -0.33 = 0.17 mol

2 mol Al = 3 mol I2 = 2 molAlI3

H2 + Cl2 ------> 2 HCl

1 mol H2 = 1mol Cl2 = 2mol HCl
1 mol H2 x 2mol HCl / 1 mol H2
0.5 mol H2 1mol Cl2 ------> ????? mol HCl
0.5 mol H2 x 2mol HCl / 1 mol H2 ONE

0.3 mol H2 x 2mol HCl / 1 mol H2

Determine the limiting reagent and the theoretical yield (# of moles of AlI3 produced
according to the equation) of the product if one starts with:

2Al + 3I2 ------> 2AlI3

(a)1.20 mol Al and 2.40 mol iodine.

1.2 /2 2.4/3
0.6 0.8

L.R is Al Excess I2

1.2 mol Al x 2 mol AlI3 / 2 mol Al = 1.2 mol AlI3

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 # moles I2 reacted????

1.2 mol Al x 3 mol I2 / 2 mol Al = 1.8 mol I2

2.40 mol I2 -1.8 mol I2 = 0.6 mol I2 unreacted

(b)
(b) 1.20 g Al and 2.40 g iodine
(c) How many grams of Al are left over in part b?

Solution for part (a):

We already have moles as the unit, so we use those numbers directly.

1) Here is how to find out the limiting reagent:

Take the moles of each substance and divide it by its coefficient in the balanced
equation. The substance that has the smallest answer is the limiting reagent.

2) Let's say that again:

To find the limiting reagent, take the moles of each substance and divide it by its
coefficient in the balanced equation. The substance that has the smallest answer
is the limiting reagent.

You're going to need that technique, so remember it.

3) Resuming with the problem solution:

For aluminum: 1.20 / 2 = 0.60

for iodine: 2.40 / 3 = 0.80

4) The lowest number indicates the limiting reagent. Aluminum will run out first in part
(a) of the question.

5) The second part of the question "theoretical yield" depends on finding out the limiting
reagent. Once we do that, it becomes a stoichiometric calculation.

Al and AlI3 stand in a one-to-one molar relationship, so 1.20 mol of Al produces 1.20
mol of AlI3. Notice that the amount of I2 does not play a role, since it is in excess.

Solution for part (b): (b) 1.20 g Al and 2.40 g iodine

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2Al + 3I2 ------> 2AlI3

1) Since we have grams, we must first convert to moles. Then we solve just as we did in
part a just above. For the mole calculation:

Aluminum is 1.20 g / 26.98 g mol¯1 = 0.04477 mol

iodine is 2.4 g / 253.8 g mol¯1 = 0.009456 mol
2) To determine the limiting reagent:
Aluminum is 0.04477 / 2 = 0.02238 Excess
iodine is 0.009456 / 3 = 0.003152 L.R.

0.009456 mol I2 X 2 mol AlI3 /3mol I2

0.009456 mol I2 X 2 mol Al /3mol I2 grams of Al reacted

0.006 mol Al reacted
0.04477 mol of Al - 0.006 mol Al reacted = 0.039 moles
Al unreacted

0.039 moles x 27 g Al / 1mol Al = 1.053 g

(c) How many grams of Al are left over( unreacted)

in part b?
The lower number is iodine, so we have identified the limiting reagent.

3) Finally, we have to do a calculation and it will involve the iodine, NOT the aluminum.

I2 and AlI3 stand in a three-to-two molar relationship, so 0.009456 mol of I2 produces

0.006304 mol of AlI3. Again, notice that the amount of Al does not play a role, since it is
in excess.

From here figure out the grams of AlI3 and you have your answer.

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Solution for part (c):

Since we have moles, we calculate directly and then convert to grams.

Al and I2 stand in a two-to-three molar relationship, so 0.009456 mol of I2 uses 0.006304

mol of Al.

Convert this aluminum amount to grams and subtract it from 1.20 g and that's the
answer

Example #2: 15.00 g aluminum sulfide and 10.00 g water react

until the limiting reagent is used up. Here is the balanced equation
for the reaction:

Al2S3 + 6H2O ---> 2Al(OH)3 + 3H2S

(a) Which is the limiting reagent?
(b) What is the maximum mass of H2S which can be formed from these reagents?
(c) How much excess reagent remains after the reaction is complete?

Some comments first:

The key to this problem is the limiting reagent, part (a). Once you know that, part (b)
becomes "How much H2S can be made from the limiting reagent?" Part (c) becomes
two connected questions: first, "How much Al2S3 is used up when reacting with the
limiting reagent?" then second, "What is 15.00 minus the amount in the first part?"

Make sure you note that second part. The calculation gives you the answer to "How
much reacted?" but the question is "How much remained?" Lots of students forget to do
the second part (the 15 minus part) and so get graded down.

Note: I'm carrying a guard digit or two through the calculations. The final answers will
appear with the proper number of significant figures.

Solution for limiting reagent, part (a):

1) Determine the moles of Al2S3 and H2O

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aluminum sulfide: 15.00 g ÷ 150.158 g/mol = 0.099895
mol Al2S3
water: 10.00 g ÷ 18.015 g/mol = 0.555093 mol H2O
2) Divide each mole amount by equation coefficient
aluminum sulfide: 0.099895 mol ÷ 1 mol = 0.099895
water: 0.555093 mol ÷ 6 mol = 0.0925155
3) The water is the lesser amount; it is the limiting reagent.
Al2S3 + 6H2O ---> 2Al(OH)3 + 3H2S

0.555093 mol H2O X 3 mol H2S / 6 mol H2O

0.256 mol H2S
0.278 X 34 grams = 9.4 g

Solution for mass of H2S formed, part (b)

Now that we know the limiting reagent is water, this problem becomes "How much H2S
is produced from 10.00 g of H2O and excess aluminum sulfide?"

1) Determine moles of 10.00 g of H2O

water: 10.00 g ÷ 18.015 g/mol = 0.555093 mol

2) Use molar ratios to determine moles of H2S produced from above amount of water.

(a) the H2O/H2S molar ratio is 6/3, a 2/1 ratio.

(b) water is associated with the two. This means the H2S amount is one-half the water
value = 0.2775465 mol.

3) Convert moles of H2S to grams.

0.2775465 mol x 34.0809 g/mol = 9.459 g

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Solution for excess reagent remaining, part (c)

We will use the amount of water to calculate how much Al2S3 reacts, then subtract that
amount from 15.00 g.

1) Determine moles of 10.00 g of H2O

water: 10.00 g ÷ 18.015 g/mol = 0.555093 mol

2) Use molar ratios to determine moles of Al2S3 that reacts with the above amount of
water.

(a) the Al2S3/H2O ratio is 1/6

(b) water is associated with the 6. This means the Al2S3 amount is one-sixth the water
value = 0.09251447 mol

3) Convert moles of Al2S3 to grams.

0.09251447 mol x 150.158 g/mol = 13.891943 g

4) However, we are not done. We were asked for the amount remaining and the answer
just above is the amount which was used up, so the final step is:

15.00 g - 13.891943 g = 1.108 g

Example #3: If there is 35.0 grams of C6H10 and 45.0 grams of O2, how many grams of
the excess reagent will remain after the reaction ceases?

2C6H10 + 17O2 ---> 12CO2 + 10H2O

Solution:

1) Convert each substance to moles:

C6H10: 35.0 g / 82.145 g/mol = 0.426 mol

O2: 45.0 g / 31.998 g/mol = 1.406 mol

2) Determine the limiting reagent:

C6H10: 0.426 mol / 2 = 0.213

O2: 1.406 mol / 17 = 0.083

O2 is the limiting reagent.

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Comment: the units don't matter in this step. What we are looking for is the smallest
number after carrying out the divisions. The value of 0.083 is the important thing. Not if
it has a unit attached to it or not.

3) Determine how many moles of the excess reagent is used up when the limiting
reagent is fully consumed:

the mole ratio we desire is 2/17 (C6H10 to O2)

2 x
–––– = –––––––
17 1.406 mol

x = 0.1654 mol of C6H10 consumed

4) Determine grams of C6H10 remaining:

0.426 mol minus 0.1654 mol = 0.2606 mol of C6H10 remaining

0.2606 mol times 82.145 g/mol = 21.4 g remaining (to three sig figs)

Example #4: (a) what mass of Al2O3 can be produced from the reaction of 10.0 g of Al
and 19.0 g of O3? (b) How much of the excess reagent remains unreacted?

Solution to a:

1) Write balanced chemical equation:

2Al + O3 ---> Al2O3

2) Convert grams to moles:

Al ---> 10.0 g / 26.982 g/mol = 0.37062 mol

O3 ---> 19.0 g / 47.997 g/mol = 0.39586 mol

3) Determine limiting reagent:

Al ---> 0.37062 / 2 = 0.18531

O3 ---> 0.39586 / 1 = 0.39586

Al is the limiting reagent

4) Determine moles of product formed:

Al to Al2O3 molar ratio is 2 to 1.

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 2 0.37062 mol
–––– = ––––––––––
1 x

x = 0.18531 mol

5) Determine grams of product:

0.18531 mol times 101.961 g/mol = 18.8944 g

To three sig figs, 18.9 g

Solution to b:

1) Determine moles of ozone that reacted:

Al to O3 molar ratio is 2 to 1
2 0.37062 mol
–––– = ––––––––––
1 x

x = 0.18531 mol

2) Determine moles of ozone remaining:

0.39586 mol - 0.18531 mol = 0.21055 mol

3) Determine grams of ozone remaining:

0.21055 mol times 47.997 g/mol = 10.1 g (to three sig figs)

Example #5: Based on the balanced equation:

C4H8 + 6O2 ---> 4CO2 + 4H2O

Calculate the number of excess reagent units remaining when 28 C4H8 molecules and
228 O2 molecules react?

Solution:

Remember, numbers of molecules are just like moles, so treating the 28 and 228 as
moles is perfectly acceptable. This is because I could divide the 28 and the 228 by
Avogadro's Number to obtain the moles. Those mole amounts could be used in the

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calculation below and the final answer could then be multiplied by Avogadro's Number
to obtain the answer of 60.

1) Determine the limiting reagent:

butane: 28 / 1 = 28
oxygen: 228 / 6 = 38

Butane is the limiting reagent.

2) Determine how much oxygen reacts with 28 C4H8 molecules:

the butane:oxygen molar ratio is 1:6

28 x 6 = 168 oxygen molecules react

3) Determine excess oxygen:

228 - 168 = 60

Here's aother way to consider this:

The 38 above means that there are 38 "groupings" of six oxygen molecules.

38 minus 28 = 10 oxygen "groupings" remain after the butane is used up

10 x 6 = 60

Example #6: Determine the maximum mass of TiCl4 that can be obtained from 35.0 g of
TiO2, 45.0 g Cl2 and 11.0 g of C. (See comment below problem.)

3TiO2 + 4C + 6Cl2 ---> 3TiCl4 + 2CO2 + 2CO

Solution:

1) Assume each reactant is the limiting reagent. Determine the moles of product
produced by each assumption:

Note: the first factor in each case converts grams of each reactant to moles. The
second factor uses a molar ratio from the chemical equation to convert from moles of
the reactant to moles of product. There is no need to convert to grams because all three
calculations yield moles of the same compound (the TiCl4).

1 mole Cl2 3 mole TiCl4

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45.0 g Cl2 x ––––––––––– x ––––––––––– = 0.31732 mol TiCl4
70.9064 g Cl2 6 mol Cl2
1 mole C 3 mole TiCl4
11.0 g C x ––––––––––– x ––––––––––– = 0.68688 mol TiCl4
12.01078 g C 4 mol C
1 mole TiO2 3 mole TiCl4
35.0 g TiO2 x ––––––––––– x ––––––––––– = 0.438235 mol TiCl4
79.8658 g TiO2 3 mol TiO2

Cl2 makes the least amount of TiCl4, so Cl2 is the limiting reactant.

2) The mass of TiCl4 produced is:

(0.31732 mol TiCl4) (189.679 g TiCl4/mol) = 60.2 g TiCl4 (to three sig figs)

Note that the "divide moles by coefficient" was not used to determine the limiting
reagent. Instead, a full calculation was done and the least amount of product identified
the limiting reagent. Here is what the "divide moles by coefficient" set up looks like:

Cl2 ---> 0.63464 / 6 = 0.10577 <--- there's our limiting reagent

C ---> 0.915844 / 4 = 0.228961
TiO2 ---> 0.438235 / 3 = 0.14608

Example #7: Determine the starting mass of each reactant if 46.3 of K3PO4 is produced
and 92.8 of H3PO4 remains unreacted.

3KOH(aq) + H3PO4(aq) ---> K3PO4(aq) + 3H2O(ℓ)

Solution:

1) The fact that some phosphoric acid remains tells us it is the excess reagent. Let us
determine the amount of KOH (the limiting reagent) required to produce the 46.3 g of
K3PO4.

46.3 g / 212.264 g/mol = 0.2181246 mol of K3PO4

Three moles of KOH are required to produce one mole of K3PO4

0.2181246 mol times 3 = 0.6543738 mol of KOH required

0.6543738 mol times 56.1049 g/mol = 36.7 g (to thee sig figs)

2) Determine the starting mass of H3PO4

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0.2181246 mol of K3PO4 requires 0.2181246 mol of H3PO4 based on the 1:1 molar ratio
from the balanced equation.

0.2181246 mol times 97.9937 g/mol = 21.4 g (to three sig figs)

21.4 + 92.8 = 114.2 g

Example #8: Determine the limiting reagent of this reaction:

Na2B4O7 + H2SO4 + 5H2O ---> 4H3BO3 + Na2SO4

There are 5.00 g of each reactant.

Solution:

1) Convert everything into moles, by dividing each 5.00 g by their respective molar
masses:

Na2B4O7 ---> 0.02485 mol

H2SO4 ---> 0.05097 mol
H2O ---> 0.2775 mol

2) Note that there are three reactants. How is the limiting reagent determined when
there are three reactants? Answer: determine the limiting reagent between the first two:

Na2B4O7 ---> 0.02485 / 1 = 0.02485

H2SO4 ---> 0.05097 / 1 = 0.05097

Na2B4O7 is the limiting reagent when compared to H2SO4

3) Now, compare the "winner" to the third reagent:

Na2B4O7 ---> 0.02485 / 1 = 0.02485

H2O ---> 0.2775 / 5 = 0.0555

Na2B4O7 is the limiting reagent between itself and H2O.

Na2B4O7 is the overall limiting reagent in this problem.

Example #9: How much O2 could be produced from 2.45 g of KO2 and 4.44 g of CO2?

4KO2 + 2CO2 ---> 2K2CO3 + 3O2

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Solution:

I will do a solution assuming KO2 is the limiting reagent, then I will do a solution
assuming CO2 is the limiting reagent. The reactant that produces the lesser amount of
oxygen is the limiting reagent and that lesser amount will be the answer to the question.

1) Solution using KO2:

2.45 g / 71.096 g/mol = 0.03446045 mol

4 0.03446045 mol
––– = ––––––––––––––
3 x

x = 0.02584534 mol

(0.02584534 mol) (31.998 g/mol) = 0.827 g of O2

2) Solution using CO2:

4.44 g / 44.009 g/mol = 0.10088845 mol

2 0.10088845 mol
––– = ––––––––––––––
3 x

x = 0.151332 mol

(0.151332 mol) (31.998 g/mol) = 4.84 g of O2

3) 0.827 g is the answer.

Note that I could have calculated the mole amounts, used the "divide moles by
coefficient" to determine the limiting reagent, and then done just one complete
calculation.

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