STOICHIOMETRY AND

ITS APPLICATIONS
for General Chemistry 1/ Grade 12
Quarter 1/ Week 7

NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week7_v2 1 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week7_v2

 FOREWORD

This self-learning kit focuses on the principles of

stoichiometry and its application such as the
determination of the amounts of products formed or
the amount of reactant needed to complete certain
chemical reactions. Also, calculation of volume,
number of moles, or mass of gaseous reactant and
products are included. Hopefully, this SLK will help you
understand better on the topic.

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OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
K : identify the limiting and excess reagent (reactant) in each
chemical reaction.
S : apply the principles of stoichiometry to solve problems
involving limiting and excess reactant, percent yield in a
chemical reaction, and gaseous reaction.
A : relate the concept of limiting and excess reactants and
percent yield in real-life situations.

LEARNING COMPETENCIES
- Explain the concept of limiting reagent in a chemical
reaction; identify the excess reagent (STEM_GC11MRIg-h-40)
- Calculate the percent yield and theoretical yield of the
reaction. (STEM_GC11MRIg-h-39)
- Apply the principles of stoichiometry to determine the
amounts (volume, number of moles, or mass) of gaseous
reactant and products (STEM_GC11DLli-48)

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4 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week7_v2
I. WHAT I NEED TO KNOW
DISCUSSION:

Limiting and Excess Reactants

Consider the following scenario. For instance, your
mother asked you to help her in placing all the eggs in the
egg tray so that they will be delivered to your customers. You
counted the eggs and you found out that there were three
hundred sixty eggs and fourteen egg trays available. As
shown in Figure 1, an egg tray can accommodate 30 eggs.
Considering the total number of eggs, only 12 egg trays will
be utilized. In this situation, eggs are limited, and egg trays
are in excess.

30 eggs =
1

10 + 14 12 + 2

36 eggs egg tray egg tray with 30 excess egg

eggs tray
Photo credit to canva.com
Figure 1. An Analogy of eggs and egg tray

Ideally, the chemical equation in a reaction shows the

stoichiometric relationship between reactants and products. It
means that all the reactants are consumed during a chemical
reaction. However, not all chemical reaction goes to
completion. Mostly, an excess of one reactant is supplied to
ensure that the more expensive reactant is completely used
up.
The reactant that is completely consumed in a
chemical reaction is the limiting reagent or reactant. On the
other hand, the substance that is not completely used up is
called an excess reagent or reactant. This is the same with
the eggs-egg tray analogy. An excess of egg trays is supplied
to make sure that all the 360 eggs (limiting component) must
be placed properly in a container.

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 To better understand the concept of limiting and excess
reagents, consider the reaction between N 2 and H2 to yield
NH3. The balanced chemical equation is:

N2(g) + 3H2 (g) 2NH3(g)

One mole N2 requires three moles H2. Thus, the

stoichiometric H2/N2 ratio is 1N2: 3H2. Let us consider the
following experiment shown in Figure 2, N2 molecules and H2
molecules are placed in a flask

Figure 2. Chemical Reaction between N2 and H2 to produced NH3

As shown in Figure 2, the number of molecules in the

reactant is not equal. There are more H 2 molecules than N2.
Even though the amount of H2 gas is higher than N2, the
limiting reactant is not N 2, it is H2. Why? Let us go back to the
balanced equation on the synthesis of ammonia. For every
nitrogen atom, 3 hydrogen atoms are needed to form an
ammonia molecule. Thus, if a specific amount of one reactant
is available, the reaction will stop when that reactant is totally
consumed whether the other reactant has been used up or
not.

Calculation of limiting, excess reactant and the amount left

unreacted
Here are the steps in determining limiting, excess
reactant, and the amount left unreacted:
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 the product produced.

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 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 reactant.
6. To find the amount of remaining excess reactant, subtract
the mass of excess reagent consumed from the total
mass of excess reagent given.

Let us consider the following problem to calculate the

limiting, excess, and amount of reactant left after the reaction.
Sample Problem 1. A 4.00 g sample of ammonia (NH) is mixed with
8.00 g of molecular oxygen (O2). Which is the limiting reactant
and how much excess reactant remains after the reaction has
stopped? (N =14.01 g/mol, H = 1.008 g/mol, O = 16.00 g/mol)
 First, we need to balance the equation for the reaction.

4 NH3(g) + 5 O2(g) 4 NO(g) + 6 H2O(g)

 Next, convert the given information into moles.

Molar Mass

Molar mass

 Use stoichiometry to calculate the mass of
product produced by each reactant. NOTE: If it is not
specified in the problem, it does not matter which product is
chosen, but the same product must be used for both
reactants so that the amounts can be compared. (In this
problem, we will calculate the amount of NO produced)


 Stoichiometric ratio Molar Mass


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 The reactant that produces the lesser amount of product is
the limiting reagent. In this case, oxygen produced a lesser
amount of NO, therefore, it is the limiting reactant.
To find the amount of excess reactant, we must calculate how
much of the excess reactant did react with the limiting reactant.
(Since in this problem NH3 is the excess reagent, we will
calculate the amount of NH3 reacted during the reaction).

 We are not yet finished, the 3.41 g is the amount of

ammonia that reacted, not what is left over. To find the
amount of excess reactant remaining, subtract the amount
that reacted from the amount in the original sample.

Mass of reactant
Amount of reactant left
unreacted
= Mass of original sample - consumed during the
reaction

= 4.00 g NH3 - 3.41 g NH3

= 0.59 g NH3
Practice Exercise

Direction: Answer the following in your notebook. Show your

solution.

At high temperature, sulfur combines with iron to form the

brown- black iron (II) sulfide; Fe(s) + S(l) → FeS(s). In one
experiment 15.24 g of Fe are allowed to react with 17.34 g of
S.

A. Which of the two reactants is the limiting reagent?

B. Calculate the mass of FeS formed.
C. How much of the excess reagent (in grams) is left at the
end of the reaction?
Answers: A) Fe, B) 23.99 g FeS, C) 8.59 g S.

9 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week7_v2
 To sum it up, the limiting reactant is the reactant that
limits the amount of product that can be formed and is
completely consumed during the reaction. The excess
reactant is the reactant that is left over once the reaction has
stopped due to the limiting reactant.
Actual, Theoretical, and Percent yield
Under the favorable condition, when two or more
elements or compounds are combined, or when a compound
decomposed, a new set of chemical compounds will be
formed. Although transformation happened, ideally, according
to the Law of Conservation of Mass discovered by Antoine
Lavoisier in 1789, in any chemical reaction, mass is neither
created nor destroyed but changed from one form to another.
It means that the mass of any elements or compounds at the
beginning of the reaction is equal to the mass at the end of the
said chemical reaction (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Experiment on Law of Conservation of Mass

Source: http://www.docbrown.info/page04/4_73calcs03com.htm

However, the Law of Conservation of mass is applicable

to an isolated system where there is no exchange of mass
and energy from the system to the surrounding. Chemical
reactions do not always proceed exactly as planned on paper.
For instance, during the conduct of an experiment, many
factors will contribute to the formation of less product than
would be predicted. These factors include spills and other
experimental errors, losses due to an incomplete reaction,
undesirable side reactions that generate

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undesirable products, and other factors. To determine the
efficiency of a chemical reaction and to make the most product
with the least waste, chemists need a measurement that
indicates how successful a reaction has been. This
measurement is called the percent yield. Percent yield is
the ratio of the actual yield to the theoretical yield, expressed
as a percentage. The following is the equation for calculating
the percent yield:

What is percent yield?

To compute the percent yield, it is first necessary to

determine the theoretical and the actual yield.

Theoretical yield is the maximum amount of product

formed from the complete reaction of given amounts of
reactants in a chemical reaction with the assumption that
product is 100% recovered. In addition, theoretical yield is a
result of a calculation from a balanced chemical equation. On
the other hand, the experimental or actual yield is the
amount of product that is obtained when the reaction is
carried out in the laboratory.
Generally, percent yields are less than 100% due to the
different factors mentioned above that possibly occur during a
chemical reaction. However, there are instances when percent
yields are greater than 100%. That is if the measured product
of the reaction contains impurities that cause its mass to be
greater than it would be.

How to calculate percent yield?

Sample Problem 2. Decomposition of Potassium chlorate

Potassium chlorate decomposes upon slight heating in

the presence of a catalyst according to the reaction below:

2KClO3(s) → 2KCl(s) + 3O2(g)

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 In a certain experiment, 20.0g KClO3 is heated until it
completely decomposes. The experiment is performed, the
oxygen gas is collected, and its mass is found to be 7.45g.
A. What is the theoretical yield of oxygen gas?
B. What is the percent yield for the reaction?

Solution:

A. Calculation of theoretical yield. (Calculate the theoretical

yield based on the stoichiometry).

Step 1: Identify the given

Given: Mass of KClO3 = 20.0 g, Mass of O2 collected =

7.45 g Find: Theoretical yield, g O2

Step 2: List other known quantities and plan the problem.

Step 3: Check if the chemical equation is balance.

2KClO3(s) → 2KCl(s) + 3O2(g)

Step 4: Apply stoichiometry to convert from the mass of a

reactant to the mass of a product:

Mass (g) KClO3 → mol KClO3 → mol O2 → mass (g) O2

Step 5. Solve:

Amount of O2 formed
Mole ratio from the from the balanced
balanced chemical equation
equation

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Step 6: Think about your result.

The mass of oxygen gas must be less than the original

amount (20.0 g) of potassium chlorate.

B. Calculate the percent yield

Step 1: Identify the given

Theoretical yield = 7.83 g O2(calculated value in part

A) Actual yield = 7.45 g O2
Find % Yield of the reaction

Step2. Solve.

.
.

= 95.1 %

Direction: Answer the following in your notebook.

Show your solution.

1. What is the percent yield of the following reaction:

CaCO3 → CaO + CO2
if 80.0 g of CaCO3 is heated to give 33.0 g of CaO. Use the
following atomic masses: Ca = 40.08 g/mol; C = 12.01
g/mol; O = 16.00g/mol in calculating molar mass)
(Ans.73.6%)
Tip. 1. Check if the equation is balance
2. Calculate theoretical yield before calculating
2. Upon reaction of 6.37 g of CuSO4 with Zn metal, 1.96 g
of Cu metal was obtained according to the equation:
CuSO4(aq) + Zn (s)→Cu(s) + ZnSO4(aq)
What is the % yield? (Cu = 63.55g/mol; S = 32.07g/mol; O
= 16.00g/mol; Zn = 65.39) (Ans. 77.2%)

13 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week7_v2
Stoichiometric Calculations Involving Gases
For a chemical reaction to proceed there must be
collision, proper orientation, and enough energy to overcome
the activation energy. Activation energy is the minimum
amount of energy that is required to activate atoms or
molecules to a condition in which they can undergo chemical
change. For gasses, even though atoms or molecules are
further apart from each other, under the right conditions, they
can still undergo chemical reactions. So, how to determine the
amounts in terms of volume, a number of moles, or mass of
the reactants or the products?

Avogadro’s Law on Gases

Avogadro’s Law (sometimes referred to as Avogadro’s
hypothesis or Avogadro’s principle) is a gas law; it states that
under the same pressure and temperature conditions, equal
volumes of all gases contain the same number of moles or
molecules. The law is named after Amedeo Avogadro who, in
1811, hypothesized that two given samples of an ideal gas - of
the same volume and at the same temperature and pressure -
contain the same number of molecules; thus, the number of
molecules or atoms in a specific volume of an ideal gas is
independent of their size or the molar mass of the gas. This
can be extended to a chemical reaction involving gases. The
coefficients in a balanced chemical reaction involving gases
can be treated as volumes.

Example 1: (Volume – Volume) at constant pressure and

temperature
What volume of oxygen gas, O2 is needed to complete
the combustion of 4 L methane, CH 4? Assume that the
pressure and temperature remain constant.

CH4(g) + 2O2(g)  CO2(g) + 2H2O(g)

Solution:

14 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week7_v2
 Based on the balance chemical reaction, 1 mole CH4
reacts with 2 moles O2 to form 1 mole CO2 and 2 moles H2O.
Based on Avogadro’s Law, the coefficients of the balance
chemical reaction can be treated as volume ratio. In the case
of combustion of CH4, the volume ratio is 1L:2L:1L:2L of CH 4,
O2, CO2 and H2O respectively. For volume of O2 needed for 4 L
of CH4:
= 4 L CH4 x 2 L O2 = 8 L O2
1 L CH4
Example 2: (Volume – Mass) at constant pressure and temperature
What is the mass in grams of oxygen gas, O2 is needed to
complete the combustion of 6 L of methane, CH4? Assume that
the pressure and temperature remain constant.

CH4(g) + 2O2(g)  CO2(g) + 2H2O(g)

Solution:
To answer this, we need volume to mole ratio of CH 4 and
O2 based on the balance chemical reaction. The volume to
mole ratio is 1L CH4: 2 moles O2. Then to convert moles O2 we
need molar mass of O2 = 16.00 g/mol.
For mass of O2 (MM = 16 g/mol) needed for 6 L of CH4:
= 6 L CH4 x
2 mol O2 x 16.00 g O2 = 192 g O2
1 L CH4 mo
l
Example 3: (Volume – Mass) with specific temperature and
pressure
Ammonia, NH3 (MM = 17.04 g/mol) is synthesized from
hydrogen and nitrogen based on the reaction below.

N2(g) + 3H2(g)  2NH3(g)

If 5.00 L of nitrogen reacts completely with hydrogen at a

pressure of 3 atm and a temperature of 298 K, how much
ammonia, in grams, is produced?

Solution:

15 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week7_v2
 First, we need to convert 5.00 L of Nitrogen to L of NH3 by
using the volume ratio based on the balance chemical
reaction. The volume ration of N2 and NH3 is 1L:2L.
= 5.00 L N2 x 2 L NH3 = 10.0 L
NH3 1 L N2
Solving for the moles NH3, the ideal gas equation is used, PV
= nRT. Rearranging to get n:
n = PV
RT
n= 3.00 atm x 10.0 L = 1.23 mol NH3
(0.0821 L●atm/mol●K)(298
K) moles NH , molar mass is
To convert 3
needed.
1.23 mol NH3 x 17.04 g NH3 = 21.0 g
1 mol NH3 NH3

a. pletely with oxygen at a pressure of 1 atm and a

temperature of 300 K, how much SO3, in grams, is
produced?
b. How many L of sulfur dioxide, SO2 is needed to produce 5
moles of Sulfur trioxide, SO3? Assuming excess O2 and the
temperature and pressure are constant.

REFERENCES

“Avogadro’s Law - Statement, Formula, Derivation,

Solved Examples.” n.d. BYJUS.https:// byjus.com/
chemistry/ avogadros-law/.

Ebbing, Darrell, and Steven D. Gammon. General chemistry.

Cengage Learning, 2016.

Held, Lubomir. "Avogadro's Hypothesis after 200 Years." Universal

Journal of Educational Research 5, no. 10 (2017): 1718-
1722.
16 NegOr_Q1_GenChem1-12_SLK Week7_v2
Law of Conservation of Mass. Retrieved July 18, 2020 from
http://www.docbrown.info/page04/4_73calcs03com.htm

Limiting Reactants. Retrieved July 21, 2020 from https:// chem.

libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Inorganic_Chemistry/Modules_a
nd_Websites_(Inorganic_Chemistry)/Chemical_Reactions/L
imiting_Reagents.

Petrucci, Ralph H., William S. Harwood, and F. Geoffrey

Herring. General chemistry: principles and modern
applications. Vol. 1. Prentice Hall, 2002

Theortical Yield and Percent Yield Retrived July 14, 2020 from
https://flexbooks.ck12.org/cbook/ck-12-chemistry-
flexbook2.0/section/12.9/ primary/lesson/theoretical-
yield- and-percent-yield-chem

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