If 12.0 g of MgSO4 react with 15.0.g of BaCl2, what is the limiting reactant and what mass of BaSO4 is produced?
1 Answer
The limiting reactant is BaCl₂. The reaction produces 16.8 g of BaSO₄.
The limiting reagent of a reaction is the reactant gives the smallest amount of product. It is the only chemical that we use to calculate the theoretical yield of product.
Balance Equation:
The balanced equation is
MgSO₄ + BaCl₂ → MgCl₂ + BaSO₄
Identify Limiting Reactant
Molar masses are
MgSO₄ = 120.4 g/mol; BaCl₂ = 208.2 g/mol; BaSO₄ = 233.4 g/mol
Calculate Moles of BaSO₄ from Each Reactant
Moles of BaSO₄ from MgSO₄:
12.0 g MgSO₄ ×
Moles of BaSO₄ from BaCl₂:
15.0 g BaCl₂ ×
BaCl₂ is the limiting reactant, because it gives the smaller amount of product.
Mass of BaSO₄:
0.0720 mol BaSO₄ ×
