3.00g CuO and 1.00g of AL are combined in allowed to react in this case is CuO or AL the limiting reactant
To determine the limiting reactant, we need to compare the amount of each reactant to the stoichiometry of the reaction.
The balanced chemical equation for the reaction between CuO and Al is:
3CuO + 2Al → 3Cu + Al2O3
First, calculate the moles of each reactant:
Moles of CuO = 3.00g CuO / 79.55 g/mol CuO = 0.0377 mol CuO
Moles of Al = 1.00g Al / 26.98 g/mol Al = 0.0371 mol Al
Next, determine the moles of each reactant needed according to the stoichiometry of the reaction:
For CuO: 0.0371 mol Al * (3 mol CuO / 2 mol Al) = 0.0557 mol CuO needed
For Al: 0.0377 mol CuO * (2 mol Al / 3 mol CuO) = 0.0251 mol Al needed
Since 0.0377 mol CuO is greater than 0.0251 mol Al, CuO is the limiting reactant in this reaction.