Readings

What is a limiting reactant?

The limiting reactant (or limiting reagent) is the reactant that determines the amount of product that can be formed in a chemical reaction. The reaction proceeds until the limiting reactant is completely used up. Use this reading to learn about limiting reactants.

How to determine a limiting reactant?

In the real world, amounts of reactants and products are typically measured by mass or by volume. It is first necessary to convert the given quantities of each reactant to moles in order to identify the limiting reactant. Use this reading to determine how to calculate a limiting reactant from a balanced chemical reaction.

Videos

Introduction to Limiting Reactant and Excess Reactant

Limiting reactant is also called limiting reagent. The limiting reactant or limiting reagent is the first reactant to get used up in a chemical reaction. Once the limiting reactant or limiting reagent gets used up, the reaction has to stop and cannot continue. After the limiting reactant or limiting reagent is used up and the reaction stops, there is extra of the other reactants left over. Those are called the excess reactants. In this video, we'll first learn about limiting reactant and limiting reagent by comparing chemical reactions to cooking recipes. We'll look at how to calculate limiting reactant and limiting reagent using cooking ingredients, and then looking at an actual stoichiometry problem,

Limiting Reactant Practice Problem

We'll practice limiting reactant and excess reactant by working through a problem. These are often also called limiting reagent and excess reagent. The limiting reactant or the limiting reagent is the first reactant to be used up during a chemical reaction. Once the limiting reactant or limiting reagent is used up, no more product can form. In order to solve stoichiometry problems with limiting reactant or limiting reagent, we need to figure out which of the reactants is the limiting reactant or limiting reagent. Then, we see how much product can be formed by using the maximum amount of the limiting reactant or limiting reagent. The excess reactant or excess reagent is what is left over after all of the limiting reactant or limiting reagent has been used up.

Stoichiometry: Limiting Reagent

Stoichiometry problem where we find the limiting reagent and calculate grams of product formed. .Created by Sal Khan.

Practice Problems

Limiting Reactant Practice

Determine the limiting reactant using stoichiometry.