Silver nitrate and iron (Ill) chloride are reacted. 27.0 g silver nitrate and 43.5 g iron (III) chloride are used in the reaction. Determine the limiting reactant for this reaction. Show your proof
To determine the limiting reactant, we must first write out the balanced chemical equation for the reaction between silver nitrate (AgNO3) and iron (III) chloride (FeCl3):
3AgNO3 + FeCl3 → 3AgCl + Fe(NO3)3
Next, we need to calculate the number of moles for each reactant:
Molar mass of AgNO3 = 169.87 g/mol
Molar mass of FeCl3 = 162.20 g/mol
Number of moles of AgNO3 = 27.0 g / 169.87 g/mol ≈ 0.159 mol
Number of moles of FeCl3 = 43.5 g / 162.20 g/mol ≈ 0.268 mol
Now, we need to determine the stoichiometry of the reaction in order to find the limiting reactant. From the balanced chemical equation, we see that the molar ratio between AgNO3 and FeCl3 is 3:1. Therefore, for every 3 moles of AgNO3, 1 mole of FeCl3 is required.
Using this ratio, we can determine how many moles of FeCl3 would be required to react with the amount of AgNO3 given:
0.159 mol AgNO3 x (1 mol FeCl3 / 3 mol AgNO3) = 0.053 mol FeCl3 needed
Since we have 0.268 mol of FeCl3, which is greater than the 0.053 mol required, FeCl3 is in excess and AgNO3 is the limiting reactant.