The reactants have five molecules that contain two hydrogen and four molecules that contains one oxygen and one nitrogen. In the products there are two molecules that contain two nitrogen, four molecules that contain one oxygen and two hydrogen, and one molecule that contains two hydrogen.

Question

The reactants have five molecules that contain two hydrogen and four molecules that contains one oxygen and one nitrogen. In the products there are two molecules that contain two nitrogen, four molecules that contain one oxygen and two hydrogen, and one molecule that contains two hydrogen.

What is the chemical formula for the limiting reactant in the reaction and balanced chemical equation for the reaction, using lowest whole-number coefficients.

Answer 1

Start with what they told you

5H2 + 4NO = 2N2 + 4H2O + H2
Looks balanced to me. Now what?

Answer 2

To determine the limiting reactant, we need to compare the number of moles of hydrogen and nitrogen in each reactant.

Let's calculate the number of moles of hydrogen and nitrogen in each reactant:

Reactant 1: Five molecules with 2 hydrogens each
Number of moles of hydrogen = 5 molecules x (2 hydrogens/molecule) = 10 moles of hydrogen

Reactant 2: Four molecules each with 1 oxygen and 1 nitrogen
Number of moles of nitrogen = 4 molecules x (1 nitrogen/molecule) = 4 moles of nitrogen

Now, let's compare the moles of hydrogen and nitrogen in each reactant. We have 10 moles of hydrogen and 4 moles of nitrogen.

Since the moles of nitrogen are limited by the reactant 2, it is the limiting reactant.

The balanced chemical equation for the reaction can be determined based on the given information:

Reactant 1: 5 (molecules) * 2 (hydrogen) = 10 H2
Reactant 2: 4 (molecules) * 1 (oxygen) + 4 (molecules) * 1 (nitrogen) = 4 NO2

Products: 2 (molecules) * 2 (nitrogen) + 4 (molecules) * 1 (oxygen) + 1 (molecule) * 2 (hydrogen) = 4 N2O + 4 O2 + 2 H2

Therefore, the chemical formula for the limiting reactant is 4 NO2, and the balanced chemical equation for the reaction is:

5H2 + 4 NO2 -> 4 N2O + 4 O2 + 2 H2

Answer 3

To determine the limiting reactant and balanced chemical equation, we need to calculate the number of moles for each reactant.

Let's start by identifying the reactants and their quantities:

Reactant 1: Contains 2 hydrogen (H2)
Reactant 2: Contains 1 oxygen (O2) and 1 nitrogen (N2)

Next, we need to convert the given quantities of reactants to moles.

1 mole of any gas occupies 22.4 liters at standard temperature and pressure (STP).

Reactant 1 (hydrogen, H2):
Number of moles of H2 = (number of molecules of H2) / Avogadro's number
= 5 / 6.022 x 10^23

Reactant 2 (oxygen, O2, and nitrogen, N2):
Number of moles of O2 and N2 = (number of molecules of O2 and N2) / Avogadro's number
= 4 / 6.022 x 10^23

Now, let's compare the number of moles of the reactants:

Reactant 1 (H2) => 5 / 6.022 x 10^23 moles
Reactant 2 (O2 and N2) => 4 / 6.022 x 10^23 moles

Since the reaction requires a 1:1 ratio of oxygen (O2) to nitrogen (N2), the limiting reactant will be the one with the fewer moles.

In this case, Reactant 2 (O2 and N2) has fewer moles, making it the limiting reactant.

The chemical formula for the limiting reactant is O2 and N2.

Now, let's proceed to balance the chemical equation.

The given reactants and products can be written as follows:

Reactants:
5H2 (hydrogen)
4O2 + 4N2 (oxygen and nitrogen)

Products:
2N2 (nitrogen)
4H2O (water)
1H2 (hydrogen)

To balance the equation, we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides.

Balanced chemical equation:
5H2 + 4O2 + 4N2 -> 2N2 + 4H2O + 1H2

Therefore, the chemical formula for the limiting reactant is O2 and N2, and the balanced chemical equation is:

5H2 + 4O2 + 4N2 -> 2N2 + 4H2O + 1H2