Question about Calculating Limiting Reactants

[Tiffany Dong_4e]

Are you allowed to simply calculate the moles of each reactant and then compare them to find the limiting reagent?

[Heba Mengesha 3D]

Yes. One method is to find and compare the mole ratio of the reactants used in the reaction to find the limiting reactant (reagent).

[Anna Wu 1H]

Yes, as long as you use mole ratios from the balanced equations to compare the amount of moles of reactants.

[sarahforman_Dis2I]

Yes, as long as you make sure that you are taking the stoichiometric coefficients in the balanced chemical equation into account.

[karinaseth_1A]

If you just want to compare moles to find the limiting reactant, you can find the moles of each reactant, divide each by their stoichiometric coefficient, and the smaller value is the limiting reactant.

[Esha Chawla 2E]

Are you allowed to simply calculate the moles of each reactant and then compare them to find the limiting reagent?

Yes - just make sure to account for the mole ratios when determining which reactant is the limiting reagent.

Another way to determine which substance is the limiting reagent is to calculate how much product each reactant produces. Then, compare the amounts of product produced by each reactant, and the reactant that produces the smallest amount of product is the limiting reagent.